Happy Birthday JOHNNY DEPP | Who is Johnny? Read his full bio!

It goes without saying that Johnny Depp is, if not my favorite actor. His depth and versatility says it all and he has no ounce of fear when taking on new roles.

My ultimate crush celebrates his 49th birthday and though he is 10 years older than me, I'm still going to say Yes! I wish! Hahaha! 

Oh well, I'm sure I'm not the only one so this is for all Johnny Depp fans out there! Toink! :o) 

 

Complete name: John Christopher Depp II

Occupation: Film Actor, Director

Birth date: June 09, 1963 (Age: 49)

Education: Loft Studio Los Angeles

Place of Birth: Owensboro, Kentucky

Zodiac Sign: Gemini

Synopsis

Actor Johnny Depp was born June 9, 1963 in Owensboro, Kentucky. After several small roles, Depp landed his first legitimate movie role in the film Nightmare on Elm Street (1984).Afterwards, Depp started studying acting. The lessons paid off in 1987, when he landed a role on the TV show 21 Jump Street. He has since starred in and received award nominations for several popular films.

Early Life

Actor, director, musician. Born John Christopher Depp, Jr. in Owensboro, Kentucky, on June 9, 1963, to parents John and Betty Sue Depp. Johnny's father worked as a civil engineer, and his mother came from full-blooded Cherokee stock, and worked as a waitress and homemaker. The youngest of four children, Depp was withdrawn and a self-admitted oddball. "I made odd noises as a child," he later revealed in an interview. "Just did weird things, like turn off light switches twice. I think my parents thought I had Tourette's syndrome."

Johnny and his family moved frequently to accommodate his father's job, finally landing in Miramar, Florida, when Johnny was seven years old. The family lived in a motel for nearly a year, until his father found a job. Depp hated his new home and, by the age of 12 began smoking, experimenting with drugs, and engaging in self-harm due to the stress of family problems. "Puberty was very vague," he has said. "I literally locked myself in a room and played guitar."

In 1978, when Depp was 15, Johnny's parents divorced. As the youngest of four, it became Johnny's job to go to his father's office and pick up the weekly child-support money. The split caused a rift between Johnny and his father.

At 16, Depp dropped out of high school and joined the garage band, The Kids. The group became successful enough to open for the Talking Heads and the B-52s, but they barely made ends meet. Depp lived for months in a friend's '67 Chevy Impala.

Although Depp made a name for himself as an A-list actor, his first love remains music. He continues to perform live, and several of his instumental works have appeared on his film soundtracks.(Getty Images)

Introduction to Acting

In 1983, at the age of 20, Johnny met and married 25-year-old makeup artist Lori Allison. That same year, the couple moved to L.A. with Depp's band in the hopes of striking it big. Still living on a shoestring budget, Depp and his band mates supported themselves by selling pens for a telemarketing firm.

A year later, Depp fell into acting when his wife introduced him to her ex-boyfriend, actor Nicolas Cage. Cage saw potential in Depp, and introduced the hopeful musician to a Hollywood agent. After several small roles as a film extra, Depp landed his first legitimate movie role in the horror film Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). By 1985, the Kids had broken up—and so had Depp's marriage. After his split with Allison, Depp met actress Sherilyn Fenn, whom he met on the set of the short film, Dummies (1985). The couple dated, and were briefly engaged, but split shortly after. After their break-up, Depp then met and proposed to actress Jennifer Grey; their romance was also short-lived.

Depp started to study acting in earnest, first in classes at the Loft Studio in Los Angeles and then with a private coach. The lessons paid off in 1987, when he replaced actor Jeff Yagher in the role of undercover cop Tommy Hanson in the popular Canadian-filmed TV series 21 Jump Street. The role thrust Depp into almost immediate stardom. Johnny Depp became a teen idol overnight; a title that he greatly resented. When his contract on Jump Street expired in 1989, he leapt at the opportunity to pursue weightier roles.

Johnny got his big break in 1987 when he replaced actor Jeff Yagher in the role of undercover cop Tommy Hanson in the popular TV series 21 Jump Street. The baby-faced star became a teen heartthrob almost overnight.(© CinemaPhoto/Corbis)

Mainstream Success

In 1990, Depp starred in the John Waters 50s-kitsch musical, Cry-Baby (1990), which became a cult hit, and succeeded in changing his image. That same year, he received an opportunity to exhibit his versatility as an actor in the title role of Tim Burton's fantasy film, Edward Scissorhands. The movie not only established Depp as an A-list actor, but it also grossed more than $54 million at the box office. Following the film's success, Depp carved a niche for himself as a serious, somewhat dark, idiosyncratic performer, consistently selecting roles that surprise critics and audiences alike.

Depp made his foray into feature films with the John Waters musical, Cry-Baby. The movie became a cult hit and succeeded in changing his teenybopper image.

It was during shooting for Edward Scissorhands that Depp finally met co-star Winona Ryder, whom he'd been eyeing since a brief meeting at the premier for her film Great Ball of Fire (1989). The two began dating on the set, and soon became a Hollywood power couple. Five months after their first date, Depp and Ryder became engaged. To solidify their love, Depp even had "Winona Forever" tattooed on his right arm. The couple split, however, in 1993 after Ryder's parents forbade their daughter to marry.

In 1990. Depp landed the lead in Tim Burton's smash hit, Edward Scissorhands. After meeting co-star Winona Ryder on set, Depp and Ryder became Hollywood's hottest couple.(© Frank Trapper/Corbis)

Outside of his personal life, Depp continued to flourish, gaining critical acclaim and increasing popularity for his work. Several of his most notable roles included his role as the social misanthrope Sam inBenny & Joon (1993), which earned him a Golden Globe nod, and Gilbert in What's Eating Gilbert Grape? (1993), which cast him as a young man dissatisfied with the confines of his small-town life.

Depp's career continued to flourish as he played outcasts and loners, including a Buster Keaton imitator in Benny and Joonand a social misanthrope in What's Eating Glibert Grape?

Personal Life

In August of that year, he and two business partners bought The Viper Club in L.A., which instantly became the hippest spot on the Sunset Strip. Depp began using the club as an opportunity to introduce patrons to music from his newly formed band, P, which offered popular shows at the venue. But tragedy hit the club on October 31 of that same year, when teen heartthrob and critically acclaimed actor River Phoenix suffered a drug overdose outside the club. Phoenix died later that evening.

Depp's life began losing control as the star dabbled with drugs and spiraled into a deep depression. Around this time he also started a very public, destructive relationship with the waifish supermodel Kate Moss. Depp and Moss constantly made headlines for their passionate and unpredictable behavior; in 1994, Depp famously trashed a New York hotel room after one of the couple's many fights.

Depp fully embraced his reputation as a romantic lead in films such as 1995's Don Juan DeMarco and 2000's Chocolat. But off-screen, his tempestuous relationship with super model Kate Moss made national headlines.(WireImage)

Johnny Depp's wild behavior didn't seem to have an effect on his professional life. In 1994 he re-teamed with Burton in the biopic Ed Wood, about the famously awful B-movie director. The film won Depp critical acclaim, and another Golden Globe nomination. Other notable films in the late 90s include Don Juan DeMarco (1995), in which Depp plays a character who believes he is the famous fictional character Don Juan, and Donnie Brasco (1997), which featured Depp as an undercover FBI agent seeking to infiltrate the Bonano crime family.

In 1998, Depp split from long-time girlfriend Moss, and took the role of journalist Hunter S. Thompson's alter ego in Terry Gilliam's adaptation of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. During filming, Depp cultivated a strong friendship with Thompson, which lasted until Thompson's death in 2005. Depp would later finance the writer's funeral.

Around this time, Depp also met another person who would become an important figure in his life; while filming the sci-fi dramaThe Ninth Gate (1999) in France, Johnny met French actress, singer and model Vanessa Paradis. Paradis became pregnant with the couple's first child later that year. In May of 1999, the couple welcomed daughter Lily-Rose Melody Depp. Depp and Paradis had their second child, son Jack John Christopher Depp III, three years later. In 2012, stories began to circulate that Depp and Paradis had split up.

By 2001, Depp was known to audiences as a versatile and complex actor. To become immersed in the lives of his gritty characters— such as drug kingpin George Jung in Blow— Depp's clean-cut looks were often masked with long hair and a five o'clock shadow.(WireImage)

Box Office Star

For Depp's next film project, he tried his hand at sci-fi horror withThe Astronaut's Wife in 1999. The same year, he teamed up with Burton once again on Sleepy Hollow, starring as a prim, driven Ichabod Crane. He appeared the following year in the small but popular romantic drama Chocolat, followed by a big-budget role as real-life cocaine kingpin George Jung in Blow in 2001. Depp's next film was the terror drama From Hell in 2001 and Robert Rodriguez's Once Upon a Time in Mexico in 2002. In April of that year, Paradis gave birth to the couple's second child, Jack.

Depp met French singer and actress Vanesssa Paradis during filming for The Ninth Gate. The couple now has two children together: Lily and Jack.(Getty Images)

In 2004, Depp earned an Academy Award nomination for his starring role as Captain Jack Sparrow in the family adventure Pirates of the Caribbean. The film was a box office smash, and led to the creation of a Pirates franchise. At the end of that year, Depp also turned in a critically acclaimed performance in Finding Neverland, in which he starred as Peter Pan creator J.M. Barrie. The film earned him more than 10 award nominations, including both Academy and Golden Globe nods.

At the end of 2004, Depp continued with his critically acclaimed work by taking on the role of Peter Pan creator J.M. Barrie in the biopic Finding Neverland. The film earned him more than 10 award nominations, including both Academy and Golden Globe nods.

In 2006, Depp returned as Captain Jack Sparrow for the sequel Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, which broke a box office record in reaching the highest weekend tally ever. The third installment fared well too. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End(2007) was released on Memorial Day weekend, bringing in $138.8 million.

Depp earned an Academy Award nomination in 2004 for his starring role as Captain Jack Sparrow in the family adventurePirates of the Caribbean.

Saying goodbye to Captain Jack, Depp took on one of theater's most notorious characters in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, also in 2007. Directed by Tim Burton and co-starring Helena Bonham Carter, the dark and gory musical tells the tale of a barber kills some of his customers who then turned into pies made by his downstairs neighbor. Depp netted a Golden Globe Award for his work on the film.

In 2007, Depp returned to his musical talents in the film version of the Broadway musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Depp netted a Golden Globe for his work on the film.(WireImage)

In 2009, two Depp films—The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Public Enemies—premiered with mixed results. He returned to box office success with the 2010 film adaptation of the Lewis Carroll classic, Alice in Wonderland. For the project, Depp again teamed up with Tim Burton to take on the character of the Mad Hatter. The film, starring Mia Wasikowska as Alice, brought in more than $116 million in its opening weekend.

The Pirates film blossomed into a box-office franchise, with Depp producing several more films as Captain Jack. Depp's unique style also took a nautical turn with jaunty hats, vintage jewelry and scarves.

Once again roving on the high seas, Depp reprised his role of Jack Sparrow in the latest installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean film series in 2011. He returned to independent film that same year with The Rum Diaries, based on the book by Hunter S. Thompson.

Depp also starred in the Tim Burton comedy Dark Shadows (2012). In the film, he plays Barnabas Collins, a vampire who escapes imprisonment and returns to his family home. There Collins tries to help his descendants played by Michelle Pfeiffer, Chloë Grace Moretz and Jonny Lee Miller. Depp was a longtime fan of the film's source material—the late 1960s gothic soap opera Dark Shadows—and encouraged friend Burton to bring it to the big screen.

Depp's long and successful career shows no signs of slowing down. Most recently, three Depp films— The Lone Ranger, Dark Shadows, and 21 Jump Street— are all slated to premiere in 2012.(FilmMagic)

Bio courtesy of Biography.com | © 2012 A+E Networks. All rights reserved.

MTV Movie Awards | And the winners are...

The MTV Movie Awards are finally over. The show was hosted by Katy Perry's ex Russell Brand hosted the evening which aired live from L.A. on Sunday.

Here are the winners!

BEST ONSCREEN DIRTBAG | Jennifer Aniston, Horrible Bosses

BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE | Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

BEST MALE PERFORMANCE | Josh Hutcherson, The Hunger Games

BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCE | Jennifer Lawrence, The Hunger Games

INSTANT CULT CLASSIC | Project X

BEST MUSIC | LMFAO – “Party Rock Anthem,” 21 Jump Street

BEST KISS | Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, Breaking Dawn Pt. 1

MTV GENERATION AWARD | Johnny Depp

BEST FIGHT | Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson vs. Alexander Ludwig, The Hunger Games

BEST CAST | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Pt. 2- Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Tom Felton

BEST HERO | Harry Potter, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Pt. 2

BEST ONSCREEN TRANSFORMATION | Elizabeth Banks, The Hunger Games

MTV TRAILBLAZER AWARD | Emma Stone

MOVIE OF THE YEAR | Breaking Dawn, Pt. 1

Dark Shadows (Tim Burton, 2012)

On paper, Dark Shadows should be a stirring return to form for Tim Burton. Like Beetlejuice, its focus on one main set limits Burton's arty leanings even as it allows him to pour all of his expressionistic flair into his chosen location, maximizing his moody design instead of diluting it across too big an area. And like Edward Scissorhands, it then drags that isolated, anachronistic, black-and-white setting into a candy-colored "normal" world, having fun with the juxtaposition. After the fine but flat Sweeney Todd and the out-of-control Alice in Wonderland, this could have been just what Burton needed to get back on track.

Instead, it marks a low point for a career that already includes the 2001 remake of Planet of the Apes and the aforementioned take on Lewis Carroll. Based on the late-'60s soap opera of the same name, Dark Shadows concerns one Barnabas Collins (Johnny Depp, obviously), the heir to a fortune and family legacy until a witch whose love he spurned (Eva Green) took everything from him, turned him into a vampire and buried him alive for eternal torment. Accidentally unearthed in 1972, Barnabas must restore his cursed descendants to the rightful Collins legacy while acclimating to a changed world.

And by "acclimate," I mean be the butt of a series of unfunny jokes that attempt to play on the cultural disconnect between a man from the end of the 18th century and a society in the wake of the Love Generation. But Depp overplays Barnabas, bypassing soap opera melodrama for the outright lunacy of his recent collaborations with the director. This breaks an already isolated character from reality completely, so that his wonder at a woman doctor (Helena Bonham Carter, again, obviously) or a lava lamp become less the outbursts of a confused man out of time than the eccentricities of a weirdo.

Furthermore, for a film that seeks to wring humor out of a man from the past entering the present, Dark Shadows makes a major misstep in retaining the time period of the original soap. What was contemporary in the series is now itself outdated and unfamiliar to the young adult audience being targeted. I myself was thrown almost instantly by Victoria Winters (Bella Heathcote, who also plays Barnabas' wife back in the 1790s) answering a classified ad A) in a newspaper, period and B) that called for a governess, a word I don't believe I've ever heard outside of a Brontë novel. Even the music cues hold practically nothing for a modern crowd. Alice Cooper guests as himself and plays two songs, only one of which nearly anyone under 30 has a decent chance of having heard, while the Moody Blues and T.Rex also feature to satisfy Burton's own nostalgia at the expense of any relatability.

The entire cast is hobbled by this awkward campiness and self-absorption. Michelle Pfeiffer, who aded such seductive flair to Catwoman in Burton's Batman Returns, has apparently been deemed too old to do anything but be a starched matriarch, so removed that she registers only momentary surprise at the seismic shocks of learning that a vampire is in the family and that the witch who made him is now her business rival. Chloë Moretz is disturbingly sexualized, while Heathcote is left as limp as a boned fish to be virginal enticement for Barnabas. It's not right to say that Carter and Depp are on autopilot, as autopilot connotes stability and mechanized competence. They continue to get worse and worse under Burton's direction: Carter grows ever more haughty and unapproachable, while Depp...Jesus, where to to start. For one thing, he ports over his Michael Jackson-esque appearance from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, his use of umbrellas and large sunglasses during daylight hours making him look more like the King of Pop than the Count of Transylvania. He cannot speak without drawing out each syllable and flexing his fingers in Lugosi fashion. The joke wears thin at once, and this rates with the last Pirates of the Caribbean movie as his worst work. As for Green, who seemed poised for stardom only a few years ago before she backed away from Hollywood in discomfort, this is what brought her back? As Angelique, her responsibilities include looking pretty and throwing tantrums. The first she does with considerable aplomb, the latter she does with the same loopy yet bored energy of everyone else who must sit captive to Depp's lack of restraint.

If Dark Shadows plays like a mashup of Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands, the Burton film it most routinely recalls is Sleepy Hollow. There is of course nothing wrong with this; Sleepy Hollow was perhaps the last great auterist piece Burton made (he would make the more emotionally poignant but visually subdued Big Fish four years later). Collinwood, the stately manor built by Barnabas' parents is atmospheric even when it's meant to convey joy and the prosperity and opportunity of the New World. And when Barnabas reawakens and finds his home in cobwebbed decay, its gargantuan size and dilapidated, faded glory serves as its own mausoleum. And then Burton has to go and ruin it with CGI. Burton was never as good with the aid of computers as he was without it. Take Sleepy Hollow: the biggest explosion of Burton's quirks falls visually flat only when dodgy CGI enters the picture. Its classical, even old-fashioned, effects elsewhere have a beauty to them I haven't seen in any of the director's subsequent large-scale works. Collinwood is the only thing with gravity in the film, and the climax dully throws that out in the window for an over-the-top magic fight that saps what little edge remained within the home's immaculately crafted but poorly tended walls.

The greatest weakness of Burton's "re-imaginings" of pre-existing works is how little imagination he can muster in his approach. Narratively, he takes properties and makes them nominally darker in a search for some emotional truth, ironically making, without fail, less engaging and affecting movies than those he adapts. Visually, Burton has bypassed merely repeating his style—an auterist trademark, not a crime—into crafting a one-gloom-fits-all mise-en-scène that makes all his films these days interchangeable. I still love too many of the director's movies to quit him entirely, and I'd hoped that Alice in Wonderland represented rock bottom. But then, the only way to know if someone has truly hit their lowest point is if they subsequently improve. After Alice I contented myself saying Burton couldn't get any worse. I will not tempt fate a second time.

JOHNNY DEPP | Outstanding and extremely memorable as a hilarious vampire in “DARK SHADOWS”

Adding to his gallery of memorable film characters such as Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, Jack Sparrow, Willy Wonka, Sweeney Todd and the Mad Hatter, Johnny Depp now plays the reluctant vampire Barnabas Collins in Warner Bros.' new black comedy “Dark Shadows.”

Frequent collaborator Tim Burton adapted the film from the 1970s cult TV classic of the same title. Johnny Depp recalls, “There was nothing like it, certainly not in the daytime, with its vampires and ghosts and witches. I’ve always been attracted to that genre, even as a very young kid, so when I got a hold of ‘Dark Shadows,’ I didn’t let go.”

“Johnny always puts 100 percent into everything he does, and I could tell right away he had a passion for this,” says Burton. “I was excited to see where we could go with the story, and I knew it would be a lot of fun.”

One of the joys of working with Depp is the actor’s ability to push himself. “Johnny is willing to try anything,” shares Burton. “He’s always coming up with new things, which we both enjoy. So every time we work together is different, and that’s what keeps it fun and fresh.”

Producer Richard Zanuck observes, “Each collaboration between the two of them is quite amazing—Tim comes up with these incredible ideas and Johnny translates them on the screen. They know each other so well, Johnny can tell by Tim’s expression whether he likes something, or Tim will say one or two things and Johnny will immediately get what Tim wants.”

Makeup artist Joel Harlow was responsible for transforming Depp into Barnabas, working closely with the actor and Burton to form the character’s distinct visage. They went through a number of makeup tests before finding the perfect pallor for the undead but still strangely handsome personage. It required coat after coat of customized grease paint to give Barnabas his chalky complexion. isays Harlow. “But there was a vast number of colors in that makeup blend.” To contrast with the pale skin, Harlow ringed Depp’s eyes with darker circles and hollowed out his cheeks to make Barnabas look more cadaverous.

A vampire’s most distinctive trait is his fangs, and Depp had several choices with which to work. Harlow details, “We had some that were curved and others that were straight, one short set and one longer one. We even had a set that were more like rattlesnake fangs, which came down from behind the teeth. We also had a set that were activated by the way Depp opened his mouth; the fangs would drop down into place.”

Another of Barnabas’ sharpest features were his pointed fingernails tipping elongated fingers. Burton comments, “There was something about the fingers that was important to me, just the way a vampire touches things. I think it also helped with the emotional quality of the character’s expression.”

“Tim wanted Barnabas to be ‘tactile,’” Harlow elaborates. “His hands sort of lead the way, like they’re feeling things out. That may seem like a very easy thing to do, but it’s actually quite complicated because it had to look slim and seamless, but when you add anything to a finger, you’re adding bulk. It also had to be rigid enough so they didn’t bend when he touches things, because that would blow the illusion instantly.”

“The hands really helped make the character,” notes Depp, “although I had to learn how to touch things or pick things up about three inches from where my fingers actually were. It took a little while but I got used to it, and it completed the look.”

Graham King says, “Johnny just dove into this role; you could see his commitment in the hours and hours of hair and makeup he had to go through every day, as well as in his performance. Barnabas says and does some pretty outlandish things, but Johnny’s delivery is totally straight-faced as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. No one does these kinds of characters better than he.”

Opening across the Philippines on Thursday, May 10, “Dark Shadows” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

CHANNING TATUM goes crazy and shows sexy funny in “21 JUMP STREET”

One of Hollywood’s most sought after young actors today and has established himself among the next generation of leading men. Best known for action thrillers (“G.I. Joe”) and romantic dramas (“The Vow,” “Dear John”), Channing Tatum now stars in his first comedy film ever, Columbia Pictures' hilarious high school send-off, “21 Jump Street.”

In the film, Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Tatum) were enemies in high school who became unlikely friends in Police Academy. While they may not be the best cops on the beat, they have a chance to turn it around when they join the police department's secret Jump Street unit, run by Captain Dickson (Ice Cube). They trade in their guns and badges for backpacks and use their youthful appearances to go undercover...in high school!

Looking for a foil for Jonah Hill's nerdy character, the filmmakers searched for an actor to play Jenko – a guy for whom everything went right during high school who discovers that things aren’t so easy the second time around. Who could be handsome and an alpha male, but funny, too?

“When we met Channing Tatum, we realized he’s perfect for the role because he’s naturally funny and sincere,” says co-director Christopher Miller.

“Channing Tatum hits all the right notes,” co-director Phil Lord shares. “Everyone knows he can pull off the heroic stuff, but there’s an underlying kindness to him that makes a nice contrast to his performance. And he’s so much funnier than people expect. We knew that the actor who plays Jenko had to be somebody who could be comedic and have a twinkle in his eye, and Channing has that.”

Tatum, who also signed on as an executive producer, says, modestly, “I’m the biggest fan of comedies, but I’m terrified of them. I’m so envious of guys like Jonah – so when he called and he said, ‘We’re doing 21 Jump Street, and we want you to be in it,’ I really thought I got the wrong call. Comedy is just so different – not only do you have to worry about being honest in the scene, but you also have to figure out where the funny beats are and punch them, then drop and stop talking. It’s a fine art. Fortunately, I was surrounded by comedy writers and stand-up comics who really knew what they were doing – I learned an enormous amount.”

Tatum’s character, Jenko, is the living opposite of Hill’s Schmidt. “They went to high school together, and the first time around, Jenko was the popular kid, the jock who got the girls,” says Tatum. “When they go back, they find that everything has changed in 10 years. It used to be all about picking on kids, being a bully, sleeping through class. Now everyone’s a vegan, running their cars on vegetable oil… they’re into everything that Jenko thinks is BS. Jenko ends up hanging around with the nerds, and for the first time, sees that all the stuff that nerds do – learning – is actually cool.”

The fact that they are opposites is one of the reasons they work so well together, according to Hill. “Even a two-shot of us is funny, because we’re such different types – you wonder how we even met each other, let alone became best friends. It was clear right from the table read that the two of us would work well together – Channing surpassed all of my expectations of how cool and talented he is.”

“One of the things about Jenko – I think if you asked him why he wanted to be a cop, he wouldn’t have an answer. I’m guessing he just watched a lot of cop movies and thought it would be really cool,” says Tatum. In a way, Tatum and his character had similar childhoods. “My friends and I would get an old Civic, one guy would drive it and the other would roll across the hood, to see who could do the fastest one. I don’t think Jonah did that kind of stupid stuff.”

“Channing told this crazy story about hanging with his buddies from childhood – they partied really hard, then went out to the desert and shot guns, and then they all got tattoos, and then they went over to another friend’s house and scared him, and then they all got crazy together,” says Lord. “I said, ‘Wow, when did this happen?’ and he said, ‘Saturday.’ I love this guy – he is Jenko.”

Opening across the Philippines on May 9, “21 Jump Street” will be distributed in the Philippines by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Visit http://www.columbiapictures.com.ph for trailers, exclusive content and free downloads. Like us at www.Facebook.com/ColumbiaPicturesPH and join our fan contests.

CHLOË GRACE MORETZ | Plays an eccentric teen in “DARK SHADOWS”

Chloë Grace Moretz has emerged as one of the film industry’s most sought-after young actresses. Last year, she starred in the award-winning fantasy adventure “Hugo,” directed by Martin Scorsese, winning a People’s Choice Award in the category of Favorite Movie Actress Under 25. In addition, the National Association of Theatre Owners just named her the Female Star of Tomorrow Award, presented at the 2012 CinemaCon.

Now, Moretz stars opposite Johnny Depp in Tim Burton's big-screen adaptation of the TV vampire classic “Dark Shadows” from Warner Bros. Pictures.

In the film, Barnabas Collins (Depp), an 18th-century lothario, breaks the heart of a heartless witch by the name of Angelique (Eva Green) whodooms him to a fate worse than death—turning him into a vampire, and then burying him…alive.

Nearly two centuries later, Barnabas is inadvertently freed from his tomb and emerges into the very changed world of 1972, a stranger in an even stranger time. Returning home, he finds that his once-grand estate has fallen into ruin, and the dysfunctional remnants of the Collins family have fared little better, each harboring their own dark secrets.

One person in the Collins household who wants nothing to do with her long-lost relative is 15-year-old Carolyn, played by Moretz. Carolyn’s first impression of Barnabas is that he is, in a word, “weird.” And when he seeks out her advice on how to woo a woman of the modern age, namely Victoria (Bella Heathcote), their conversation only serves to reinforce that assessment.

Moretz offers, “My character is a very eccentric teenager of the `70s. She wants to be so different from the rest of the family. As soon as she turns 16 she plans to live in New York and be who she wants to be.”

“Chloë latched right onto that troubled teenager thing, which I don’t think she is, but she did it really, really well,” Burton declares. “She tapped into that internal anger and the feeling like you’re alone and isolated—that strange transitory time when you’re changing from a kid into something else.”

Moretz previously starred in three very different films, including Matthew Vaughn’s hit actioner “Kick-Ass,” based on the comic book by Mark Millar, and also starring Nicolas Cage. For her performance as the ferocious Hit-Girl, whose toughness belies her young age, Moretz won two MTV Movie Awards, for Best Breakout Star and Biggest Badass Star. She was also nominated for dual Critics’ Choice Awards for Best Young Actor, for her role in “Kick-Ass,” as well as for her performance as a young vampire in the thriller “Let Me In,” written and directed by Matt Reeves. In addition, Moretz won an Empire Award for Best Newcomer, recognizing her work in both films. She was also seen that year in the family comedy “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” adapted from Jeff Kinney’s popular children’s book series.

She won her first major film role in Michael Bay’s remake of “The Amityville Horror,” in which she played the youngest member of the terrorized Lutz family, with Ryan Reynolds. Moretz’s additional film credits include the horror thriller “The Eye,” and the acclaimed independent film “(500) Days of Summer,” playing the little sister of Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character.

Moretz has a number of films upcoming, including the indie film “Hick,” in which she stars with Blake Lively, Juliette Lewis and Alec Baldwin; the anthology film “Movie 43,” as part of an all-star cast; and the remake of the classic Stephen King thriller “Carrie,” in which she will play the title role.

Opening across the Philippines on May 10, “Dark Shadows” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

JONAH HILL | A nerd who's suddenly cool in “21 JUMP STREET”

Jonah Hill has quickly become one of Hollywood’s most sought-after talents, due in part to his dynamic evolution from laugh-out-loud comedy star to Golden Globe, SAG, and Academy Award® nominee for Best Supporting Actor in 2011 for his role in Moneyball, in which he starred opposite Brad Pitt.

Now, he makes a successful return to the comedy genre with Columbia Pictures' “21 Jump Street,” an R-13-rated movie that took Hollywood box office by storm.

In the film, Schmidt (Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) were enemies in high school who became unlikely friends in Police Academy. While they may not be the best cops on the beat, they have a chance to turn it around when they join the police department's secret Jump Street unit, run by Captain Dickson (Ice Cube). They trade in their guns and badges for backpacks and use their youthful appearances to go undercover...in high school!

Jonah Hill's character, Schmidt, is a onetime nerd who finds himself suddenly cool for the first time in his life. “It’s one of the more interesting characters I’ve played,” says the actor. “He just wants to be a good cop, but he has insecurities that date all the way back to high school. When he gets sent back to high school, undercover, he gets drunk with power, forgets about police work, forgets about his friendship with Jenko. He likes living this fake high school life – better than the life he has as a guy in his mid-20s.” So in essence it’s the story of a guy who gets lost in his moment in the sun.

Hill, who's also credited as executive producer of “21 Jump Street,” says that the film started with a simple question: "What would it be like to relieve the most important time period of your youth... high school. You think you have all the answers that you didn't have then, but then you get back there and realize those answers are all wrong. You then immediately revert back to the insecurities and problems you had when you were seventeen."

Hill wrote the story with Michael Bacall, who wrote the screenplay. “At first, nothing goes as planned for the characters. These guys treat it like wish fulfillment – ‘Oh, if I only knew then what I know now,’” Bacall explains. “But all of the information that they have no longer applies. Jenko – who was always the cool kid back then – falls in with the nerds, and Schmidt – the nerdier of the two – falls in with the cool crowd. It’s a total role reversal.”

According to Hill, the fact that the show has been off the air for a generation worked to their advantage in devising the story and the tone. “I’ll meet teenagers and I’ll ask them if they know the series – they don’t,” he says. “So I tell them it’s about young-looking cops who go undercover in a high school, and they say, ‘That sounds awesome.’ It’s such a great premise for an action-comedy.”

Opening across the Philippines on May 9, “21 Jump Street” will be distributed in the Philippines by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Visit http://www.columbiapictures.com.ph for trailers, exclusive content and free downloads. Like us at www.Facebook.com/ColumbiaPicturesPH and join our fan contests.

EVA GREEN | A vengeful dark witch in “DARK SHADOWS”

Eva Green (“Kingdom of Heaven,” “Casino Royale”) stars as Angelique Bouchard, a witch who knows how to hold a grudge, in Warner Bros.' new black comedy “Dark Shadows.”

In the film, Barnabas Collins (Johnny Depp), an 18th-century lothario, breaks the heart of a heartless witch by the name of Angelique. When Barnabas declares his love for another, the ethereal Josette (Bella Heathcote), Angelique exacts her revenge on both of them: taking Josette’s life while giving Barnabas an eternal one as a vampire. It’s not much of a life, however, as she proceeds to bury him in a coffin forever…or at least the foreseeable future.

“Director Tim Burton kept asking, ‘What if there was this tremendous fight brewing between this man and woman, who each have supernatural abilities, for 200 years?’” screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith remembers. “And that’s basically what we see towards the end of the film, the tension that has been brewing for the entire movie—sexual tension, financial tension, physical pure hatred of each other. I mean, after all she did lock Barnabas in a box for two centuries!”

“Angelique’s our villain,” producer Graham King says. “She just wants Barnabas at any cost and has the power to do that, so it’s a fantastic role for Eva Green to get her teeth into and she’s amazing.”

“Everything is magnified with her—her pain, her desire, her vengeance,” Green remarks. “It’s such an outrageous character, but I don’t see her as necessarily evil. Her heart was broken, and when Barnabas re-emerges, it’s overwhelming for Angelique. She’s at the height of her power and yet she’s very vulnerable because Barnabas is her weak point. She’s convinced he loves her as much as she loves him, but he won’t admit it. She wants to own him, to possess every bit of him.”

“Eva was the first person that came to my mind for Angelique,” Burton offers. “I was so happy to have her in the role because she ended up bringing much more to it than even I imagined. She had great ideas, was real fun to work with and surprised me every day.”

“I’ve always been a fan of Tim’s,” Green says. “He’s so creative, but also open to suggestions, which is wonderful for an actor. We had the same understanding of Angelique’s character. He never treated her like a one-dimensional villain; he got her pain.”

Angelique is a woman who has changed with the times. During the 18th century, Angelique was a dark-haired servant girl. As Angie, the CEO of Angel Bay, she’s a successful blonde businesswoman. “Tim wanted her to look like the American dream,” says Green. “Everything about her is perfect. Too perfect. Perfect makeup, red lips, platinum hair. She’s very glamorous yet sophisticated. But, little by little, from the moment Barnabas escapes from his tomb, her facade starts to crack.”

Opening across the Philippines on May 10, “Dark Shadows” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

For other Dark Shadows related posts, just click HERE.

JAMES FRANCO'S brother, DAVE is “21 JUMP STREET” villain

Soon, he will be recognized for his own achievements. But for now, actor-on-the-rise Dave Franco may have to settle with being referred to as the younger brother of James Franco. Dave's campaign to move out of big brother's shadow shifts to high gear as he plays the villain in Columbia Pictures' new action-comedy “21 Jump Street,” a recent No.1 box-office hit in the U.S.

In the film, Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) were enemies in high school who became unlikely friends in Police Academy. While they may not be the best cops on the beat, they have a chance to turn it around when they join the police department's secret Jump Street unit, run by Captain Dickson (Ice Cube). They trade in their guns and badges for backpacks and use their youthful appearances to go undercover...in high school!

Trouble is, teenagers today are nothing like what they were just a few years ago, and Schmidt and Jenko discover that everything they think they know about being a teenager, from sex to drugs to rock and roll, is all wrong.

Dave Franco plays the pivotal role as Eric, who sets most of the plot in motion. “Eric is dealing a new drug at his high school, which is the reason why Schmidt and Jenko are going undercover – they have to find out the source of this drug so they can eradicate it,” says co-director Christopher Miller.

Casting Dave Franco in the role was a way the film could contrast how high school has changed since Schmidt and Jenko’s first time around. “Dave Franco is essentially the perfect man,” says co-director Phil Lord. “He’s a nice, compact Greek/Roman-sized person – the girls go crazy for him. The cool kids nowadays are not the same from a teen movie from the 1980s – Eric drives Jenko nuts because he’s so cool.”

“We saw a lot of people, but I knew we had to cast Davey, because he’s the one guy I kept trying to impress. I already had the part and I’m trying to impress the guy who’s auditioning, make him think I’m cool,” says co-star Jonah Hill who's also one of the film's producers. “That’s exactly what we wanted for the part.”

It was important to all of the filmmakers to make Franco’s character well-rounded. “Everyone should be a hero in their own narrative,” says Lord. “I always thought that the character shouldn’t be an evil thug. The kids I knew in high school who were dealing drugs were kids who were making messed-up choices – they weren’t evil, they were funny or charming or interesting, and had you known them, you’d have good things to say about them. We thought this was a good opportunity to show a grounded, real person who happened to be dealing drugs.”

With that in mind, the filmmakers and Franco focused on the character’s concern for the environment. “You have the cool guy talking about composting and finding ways to conserve water, but at the same time he’s dealing drugs,” says Franco. “I felt it was a new take on the character. It was a lot of fun because I wasn’t playing a straight jerk. He’s full of it, but he’s also charming – you get to see the more vulnerable side to the character.”

Dave Franco recently starred in the DreamWorks horror film “Fright Night,” as well as in the Funny or Die web series, “Acting with James Franco.” The first installment in the series “Sense Memory” is one of the most viewed videos on Funny or Die, attracting over 120,000 views in its first month. Franco also wrote and starred in his own Funny or Die video, “You’re so Hot,” featuring Christopher Mintz-Plasse, which garnered over one million hits. Franco followed up with “Go F--- Yourself,” which has reached nearly 800,000 hits to date. Franco also starred with Emma Roberts in the MTV Super Video for Cults’ “Go Outside,” which has been seen my more than 500,000 viewers online. An avid writer, Franco began writing well before he became involved in acting.

Opening across the Philippines in May, “21 Jump Street” will be distributed in the Philippines by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Visit http://www.columbiapictures.com.ph for trailers, exclusive content and free downloads. Like us at www.Facebook.com/ColumbiaPicturesPH and join our fan contests.

For more 21 Jump Street news, click here.

21 JUMP STREET | Holds sneak previews on April 23 & 24

The breakout comedy of the year “21 Jump Street” from Columbia Pictures will have special sneak previews in selected theaters everywhere on Monday and Tuesday, April 23 & 24.

Starring the hilariously dysfunctional duo of Jonah Hill (“Moneyball”) and Channing Tatum (“The Vow,” “G.I. Joe”), “21 Jump Street” is the big screen re-imagining of the iconic '90s detective TV series which famously launched the career of superstar Johnny Depp.

In the action-comedy, Schmidt (Hill) and Jenko (Tatum) were enemies in high school who became unlikely friends in Police Academy. While they may not be the best cops on the beat, they have a chance to turn it around when they join the police department's secret Jump Street unit, run by Captain Dickson (Ice Cube). They trade in their guns and badges for backpacks and use their youthful appearances to go undercover.

Trouble is, teenagers today are nothing like what they were just a few years ago, and Schmidt and Jenko discover that everything they think they know about being a teenager, from sex to drugs to rock and roll, is all wrong. More importantly, they both find they are still dealing with all of the adolescent problems they didn't address in their own teen years - and both will have to confront the terror and anxiety of being a teenager again and all the issues they thought they had left behind.

Opening across the Philippines on May 9, “21 Jump Street” will be distributed in the Philippines by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Visit http://www.columbiapictures.com.ph for trailers, exclusive content and free downloads. Like us at www.Facebook.com/ColumbiaPicturesPH and join our fan contests.

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TV vampire classic “DARK SHADOWS” now a hilarious movie, boasts of an impressive cast led by JOHNNY DEPP

From visionary director Tim Burton comes the big-screen adaptation of the TV vampire classic “Dark Shadows” featuring an all-star cast, led by perennial collaborator Johnny Depp.

The film also stars Eva Green, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Jonny Lee Miller, Jackie Earle Haley, Chloe Grace Moretz, Victoria Winters and Gully McGrath.

“Dark Shadows” begins in the year 1752, when Joshua and Naomi Collins, with young son Barnabas, set sail from Liverpool, England to start a new life in America. But even an ocean was not enough to escape the mysterious curse that has plagued their family. Two decades pass and Barnabas (Depp) has the world at his feet—or at least the town of Collinsport, Maine. The master of Collinwood Manor, Barnabas is rich, powerful and an inveterate playboy…until he makes the grave mistake of breaking the heart of Angelique Bouchard (Green). A witch, in every sense of the word, Angelique dooms him to a fate worse than death: turning him into a vampire, and then burying him alive.

Two centuries later, Barnabas is inadvertently freed from his tomb and emerges into the very changed world of 1972. He returns to Collinwood Manor to find that his once-grand estate has fallen into ruin. The dysfunctional remnants of the Collins family have fared little better, each harboring their own dark secrets. Matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Pfeiffer) has called upon live-in psychiatrist, Dr. Julia Hoffman (Bonham Carter), to help with her family troubles.

The film marks Depp’s eighth collaboration with visionary filmmaker Tim Burton, who most recently reimagined Lewis Caroll’s “Alice in Wonderland,” also starring the actor. Burton remembers the original “Dark Shadows” TV series as a childhood obsession and constant distraction from his homework. “I just loved the tone of it,” the director recalls. “It was about the music and languid pace and how seriously the actors took it. It was basically a soap opera, but with a supernatural undercurrent to it, which made it very different. It was like a weird kind of nightmare in the mid-afternoon. There was nothing quite like it.”

Their goal from the beginning was to honor the Dan Curtis-created series while making an original film with a contemporary sensibility. Legendary producer Richard D.Zanuck, who marks his sixth collaboration with Burton, was thrilled with the filmmaker’s take on the world of “Dark Shadows.” “The tone encapsulates a lot of humor, a lot of compassion, and although there’s blood, it’s hardly a typical vampire movie,” Zanuck says. “There are eccentric characters, and it’s a little off-center, a little over the top, and very much Tim Burton. You probably hear this a lot, and it always sounds disingenuous to say, but this movie has something for everyone. It’s got very passionate, operatic moments, heartbreaking tragedy, romance, terror and this unexpected humor.”

“When the script came in, you could see what an incredibly fun ride it was going to be,” adds Oscar-winning producer Graham King. “But then you add the layer of Tim Burton’s magical directing and this incredible cast. Tim is also being very respectful of the series because we’re all cognizant that there are a lot of `Dark Shadows’ fans out there. He’s making a film that is as unique as the series was, but it’s obviously made for today’s audiences. It’s big in scope, and really, really funny.”

David Kennedy, who produces along with Zanuck, King, Depp and Christi Dembrowski, was the producing partner of television icon Dan Curtis, who created “Dark Shadows” and introduced television audiences for the first time to a sexy, sympathetic vampire protagonist. “There was never a vampire on television until Barnabas Collins,” Kennedy relates. “And one of the things that makes Barnabas so different is that he doesn’t like being a vampire, but he knows he’s condemned to be one forever, so he’s an enormously sympathetic character. And what’s thrilling about the movie is that it’s absolutely loyal to the key characters, but it’s an original take on the series.”

Opening across the Philippines on May 10, “Dark Shadows” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

Rookie cops CHANNING TATUM & JONAH HILL go undercover as high school teens in “21 JUMP STREET”

Channing Tatum pairs up with Jonah Hill in Columbia Pictures' new action-comedy “21 Jump Street,” a recent No. 1 box-office hit in the U.S.

In the film, Schmidt (Hill) and Jenko (Tatum) were enemies in high school who became unlikely friends in Police Academy. While they may not be the best cops on the beat, they have a chance to turn it around when they join the police department's secret Jump Street unit, run by Captain Dickson (Ice Cube). They trade in their guns and badges for backpacks and use their youthful appearances to go undercover.

Trouble is, teenagers today are nothing like what they were just a few years ago, and Schmidt and Jenko discover that everything they think they know about being a teenager, from sex to drugs to rock and roll, is all wrong. More importantly, they both find they are still dealing with all of the adolescent problems they didn't address in their own teen years - and both will have to confront the terror and anxiety of being a teenager again and all the issues they thought they had left behind.

The idea for breathing new life into “21 Jump Street” as a feature film began with Stephen J. Cannell, who had co-created the popular television series with Patrick Hasburgh back in the day. One of the most venerable, talented, and prolific television writer-producers, Cannell’s many credits – from “The A-Team” to “The Rockford Files” to “The Greatest American Hero” to “Wiseguy,” among many others – earned him a legion of fans and admirers, especially among his colleagues in entertainment.

One such admirer is producer Neal H. Moritz, who has earned his own reputation as a go-to producer of action films. “He was incredibly charismatic – I loved everything about him,” says Moritz of Cannell, who died in 2010 at the age of 69. Moritz recalls their initial meeting: “We started talking about ’21 Jump Street’ and I told him how much I had loved that show. He mentioned that he was working on turning it into a movie, that he was a fan of my movies, and he asked me if I would like to get involved with the project. Are you kidding?”

“21 Jump Street” ran for five seasons, the first four on the nascent Fox network, providing them with one of their first hits. Starring Johnny Depp in his first major role, the drama about young-looking cops going undercover in high schools scored high ratings in the key demographic of young viewers that the then-fledgling network was beginning to court.

Moritz and executive producer Tania Landau immediately saw the promise in updating that premise, but it wasn’t until Jonah Hill became involved that the project really came into focus. “It’s a great concept,” Landau says. “Two young-looking cops go undercover at a high school, and against all odds, bust a drug ring. We make a lot of action movies, so that was how we saw the direction for this project, too. But things changed when we had lunch with Jonah; he suggested doing it as an R-rated action comedy, and suddenly it all fell into place.”

Hill says that it started with a simple question: "What would it be like to relieve the most important time period of your youth... high school. You think you have all the answers that you didn't have then, but then you get back there and realize those answers are all wrong. You then immediately revert back to the insecurities and problems you had when you were seventeen."

Moritz and Landau immediately sparked to Hill's fresh take on the material, and Cannell, too, thought it was a great spin on the “Jump Street” series.

Opening across the Philippines in May, “21 Jump Street” will be distributed in the Philippines by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Visit http://www.columbiapictures.com.ph for trailers, exclusive content and free downloads. Like us at www.Facebook.com/ColumbiaPicturesPH and join our fan contests.

Full-body character posters of JOHNNY DEPP and cast from “DARK SHADOWS” | Great artworks!!!

The creative materials from “Dark Shadows” keep on coming, as Warner Bros. shares nine full-body character posters for the new Johnny Depp-starrer.

Director Tim Burton brings the cult classic series “Dark Shadows” to the big screen featuring an all-star cast.

The new posters feature the nine major characters Barnabas Collins (Depp), Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green), Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Michelle Pfeiffer), Dr. Julia Hoffman (Helena Bonham Carter), Roger Collins (Jonny Lee Miller), Willie Loomis (Jackie Earle Haley), Carolyn Stoddard (Chloe Grace Moretz), Bella Heathcote (Victoria Winters) and David Collins (Gully McGrath).

  

Synopsis: In the year 1752, Joshua and Naomi Collins, with young son Barnabas, set sail from Liverpool, England to start a new life in America. But even an ocean was not enough to escape the mysterious curse that has plagued their family. Two decades pass and Barnabas (Depp) has the world at his feet—or at least the town of Collinsport, Maine. The master of Collinwood Manor, Barnabas is rich, powerful and an inveterate playboy…until he makes the grave mistake of breaking the heart of Angelique Bouchard (Green).  A witch, in every sense of the word, Angelique dooms him to a fate worse than death: turning him into a vampire, and then burying him alive.

  

Two centuries later, Barnabas is inadvertently freed from his tomb and emerges into the very changed world of 1972. He returns to Collinwood Manor to find that his once-grand estate has fallen into ruin. The dysfunctional remnants of the Collins family have fared little better, each harboring their own dark secrets. Matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Pfeiffer) has called upon live-in psychiatrist, Dr. Julia Hoffman (Bonham Carter), to help with her family troubles.

  

Also residing in the manor is Elizabeth’s ne’er-do-well brother, Roger Collins, (Jonny Lee Miller); her rebellious teenage daughter Carolyn Stoddard (Chloe Moretz); and Roger’s precocious 10-year-old son, David Collins (Gulliver McGrath). The mystery extends beyond the family, to caretaker Willie Loomis, played by Jackie Earle Haley, and David’s new nanny, Victoria Winters, played by Bella Heathcote. 

Opening across the Philippines in May 2012, “Dark Shadows” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.