Johnny Depp is someone I have considered eye candy from a young age, obviously since before I was old enough to see Edward Scissorhands. He’s only improved with age, and it seems he knows how to shop. What would you buy someone as a gift for a significant milestone, a nice piece of jewelery? A new car? A vineyard?

Johnny Depp has given his long-time partner Vanessa Paradis a vineyard as congratulations for her months of hard work recording a new album.

The 44-year-old purchased the vineyard near the villa in Plan de la Tour, France, which he shares with the singer and their two children Lily-Rose, eight, and Jack, five.

[From Ireland Online]

This is one gift that’s going to be hard to top come Christmas. Maybe he could buy her a winery to go with her grapes? Or a bottle manufacturing plant?

Johnny has plenty of spare time to come up with a great pressie for Vanessa – his current project Shantaram is on hold due to the writer’s strike. According to E! News, it’s based on the true story of an “Australian heroin addict who escapes from prison, reinvents himself as a doctor who ministers to the poor in India, and is later able to put his criminal connections to good use in the fight against Russian troops in Afghanistan.”

Picture note by Celebitchy: Johnny Depp is shown at the Venice Film Festival premiere of The Nightmare Before Christmas in 3-D with director Tim Burton on 9/5/07, thanks to WENN.

Johnny Depp reportedly received singing lessons from his longterm girlfriend, Vanessa Paradis, to prepare for his musical role in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Johnny seems to have some natural talent along with being a quick study. In this brief clip about the making of the film, he sounds like he can really belt out a tune.

Johnny Depp’s Sweeney Todd Studio Sessions

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Oh swoon. Reporters were shown advance scenes from the film, and declare that yes, Depp can really sing:

As for the biggest question of the day — can Depp sing? — the answer, at least judging by these scenes, is a resounding yes. Much in the way that Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman made the music of “Moulin Rouge” work thanks to decent natural talent coupled with emotion behind the words, Depp sells his character from the start.

[From MTV.com]

MTV reports that this is a full musical with “wall to wall” singing, but that Depp’s fine voice carries the dark film, which Director Tim Burton says is “like an old horror movie” with plenty of blood.

Sweeney Todd is out is US Theaters on December 21 and also stars Helena Bonham Carter.

Header image thanks to AllMoviePhoto. Here’s a link to more photos and the trailer.

I swear to you that I had an, uh suggestive dream about Matt Damon last night. This is not an uncommon occurrence, but I felt like a psychic this morning when I discovered that Damon was just named sexiest man of the year by People Magazine.

The thing is, Damon sent People Magazine a letter thanking them for the ego-boosting honor, but turning them down! He said that he doesn’t usually talk about his personal life. He also suggests that New England Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady would make a better Sexiest Man Alive. You just know he has a man crush on him:

But when the actor learned he had won the title, he wrote the publication a letter turning it down.

The magazine’s Ericka Souter explained: “He wrote People a ‘fabulous’ letter explaining that he doesn’t normally talk about his personal life.”

She said he was blushing when he found out.

Damon wrote: “You just gave an aging suburban dad ego boost of a lifetime.”

The magazine said it chose married dad-of-one Damon, 37, for his “irresistible sense of humour,” “his dedication to his family”, and his “heart-melting humility.”

Damon gave People permission to reprint the letter, featured in the new issue, out later this week.

Last year, Damon’s Ocean’s Thirteen co-star George Clooney was in top spot, for the second time.

Others in the running for this year included football ace David Beckham, actors
Brad Pitt, Patrick Dempsey, and Jake Gyllenhaal, and chart star Justin Timberlake. Scots actor Gerard Butler, of 300, was also considered.

Meanwhile, in his letter to People, the actor suggested New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady - who is dating supermodel Gisele - should have taken the top spot.

[From Showbizspy.com (site has automatic video)]

Last year George Clooney, the 2006 “Sexiest Man Alive” winner, joked about how Matt Damon wanted the title. He said “I gotta say, this is a very big disappointment for Matt, because he did run a very good campaign. If you’ve been around him, you know he’s sexy. His eyes pop. They have a twinkle. He’s got a good smile. He’s quite the dancer. He does rock a Speedo in Ocean’s 13.”

As for when Damon should be named sexiest, Clooney said last year that “Matt’s got a couple of years left before it’s time for him.”

Maybe Damon will win again another year and will actually accept the award. He has plenty of time left. At 37, he’s eight years younger than Clooney was when he last took the title. Sean Connery won in 1989 at the age of 59! Matt strikes me as the type that will hold on to his looks for at least another decade, but I’m completely biased. Matt Damon is the sexiest man alive in my book, and my subconscious agrees.

Other sexiest men alive this year include Patrick Dempsey, Ryan Reynolds, Brad Pitt, James McAvoy, Johnny Depp, Dave Annable from Brothers and Sisters, Will Smith, Javier Bardem, Shemar Moore from Criminal Minds, Ben Affleck, Adrian Grenier, Will Yun Lee from Bionic Woman, and Justin Timerblake.

Here are a bunch of pictures of my two favorites, Matt Damon and Johnny Depp. Photos of Damon in Oceans 13, The Bourne Ultimatum and The Bourne Supremacy from Allmoviephoto. Johnny Depp is shown in stills from In Hell and Secret Window. He is also seen at the premieres of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End on 5/19/07 and Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest on 6/24/06, thanks to PRPhotos.

Who has the most enviable figure in the celebrity world?

A UK poll by fitness firm Premier Training International has come up with some less than predictable answers in a hot body poll.

Enviable Women

Myleene Klass - Big Brother contestant
Halle Berry - actress
Jessica Simpson - singer
Madonna - singer
Sophia Loren - actress
Angelina Jolie - actress
Uma Thurman - actress
Jennifer Aniston - actress
Gabby Logan - Strictly Come Dancing contestant

Enviable Men

Daniel Craig - actor
Jonny Wilkinson - rugby player
Brad Pitt - actor
Hugh Grant - actor
David Beckham - soccer player
Orlando Bloom - actor
Johnny Depp - actor
Lee Mead - Any Dream Will Do winner
Colin Firth - actor
Sir Sean Connery - actor

New Zealand Herald

It seems that being over 70 isn’t going to stop you from having an enviable body – Sophia Loren is 73 and Sir Sean Connery is 77. Checking out the pictures on IMDB I can only hope I look that good when I’m that sort of age, although I passed my mirror this morning and turned it to face the wall – but maybe by the time I’m old I’ll look better than I do now. Do you have to be good looking in your youth (I use the term loosely) to look good in your old age?

Also, it’s amazing that three of the celebrities are from reality TV shows. Myleene Klass was on last year’s Big Brother UK edition and she gained notoriety for her physique in a bikini. I’m amazed anyone can remember Big Brother from last year? Who can remember even last night’s reality TV?

Picture note by Celebitchy: Myleene Klass pregnant bikini picture from The Daily Mail. Die another Day, Dukes of Hazzard, and Troy movie stills from allmoviephoto. Brad Pitt Premiere cover from members.fortunecity.com/mattdamon. Shirtless Becks from PRPhotos.

Johnny Depp has finally talked about his daughter Lily-Rose’s hospitalization last year. She was rushed to the emergency room and nearly died according to many sources. Production was halted on the set of Depp’s movie “Sweeny Todd” so that Depp could stay with his daughter. Though he and girlfriend Vanessa Paradis haven’t officially disclosed what sent Lilly-Rose to the hospital, several sources said she was suffering from sent Lilly-Rose to the hospital, several sources said she was suffering from Lily-Rose blood poisoning after stepping on a rusty tack. Celebitchy noted: “According to In Touch’s website (no permalink available) ‘Blood poisoning… spread through her body and has affected her vital organs’,’ and one of her kidneys was failing, although that no longer seems to be the case. She is said to be doing much better now according to Johnny Depp’s rep.” Depp talked with Entertainment Weekly about nearly losing his daughter.

Johnny Depp says his 8-year-old daughter is now healthy and well following her hospitalization earlier this year. “Now every single millisecond is a mini-celebration,” the 44-year-old actor tells Entertainment Weekly in its Nov. 9 issue. “Every time we get to breathe in and exhale is a huge victory. She pulled through beautifully, perfectly, with no lasting anything.”

Lily-Rose, the daughter of Depp and French singer Vanessa Paradis, was admitted to a British hospital to receive treatment for an undisclosed ailment about three weeks after Depp started work on “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” Tim Burton’s adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim musical about a murderous barber.

“To say it was the darkest moment, that’s nothing,” Depp tells the magazine. “It doesn’t come close to describing it. Words are so small. But knowing that those people, Tim and the crew, shut down and stood by and waited … I didn’t know if I was coming back. I remember talking with Tim, saying, `Maybe you need to recast.’ Once we were given the all-clear, I had to dive back into the work,” he says. “I had to get back in there for Tim.”

[From the Associated Press]

It’s great the Depp has his priorities straight. He knew the only thing that mattered was being there for his daughter, and understood that his work didn’t really compare in importance. It’s also great of Tim Burton not to have recast Depp’s role. The early buzz on “Sweeny Todd” is that it will be great – but then again most Tim Burton stuff is. There was some gossip floating around for a while that Depp and Paradis were finally going to marry, nothing seems to have come of it. They seem to be a pretty secure family unit. It sounds like Lily-Rose has made a complete recovery, so congrats to them all.

The trailer for the upcoming Tim Burton film, iSweeney Todd starring Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, is out. It looks like Depp predictably shines as a serial killer bent on revenge. He’s so skilled at playing offbeat unlikely heroes. Burton seems to provide rich visuals and the type of haunting, dark atmosphere that he’s know for.

Possible Spoiler Alert:
Here’s the plot synopsis:

Plot Summary: Johnny Depp and Tim Burton join forces again in a big-screen adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s award-winning musical thriller “Sweeney Todd.” Depp stars in the title role as a man unjustly sent to prison who vows revenge, not only for that cruel punishment, but for the devastating consequences of what happened to his wife and daughter. When he returns to reopen his barber shop, Sweeney Todd becomes the Demon Barber of Fleet Street who “shaved the heads of gentlemen who never thereafter were heard from again.” Joining Depp is Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs. Lovett, Sweeney’s amorous accomplice, who creates diabolical meat pies. The cast also includes Alan Rickman, who portrays the evil Judge Turpin, who sends Sweeney to prison and Timothy Spall as the Judge’s wicked associate Beadle Bamford and Sacha Baron Cohen is a rival barber, the flamboyant Signor Adolfo Pirelli.

[From Shock Till You Drop via Fark]

And here are some stills from the film and the movie poster, courtesy of Allmoviephoto. Sweeney Todd is out in theaters on December 21, 2007 and like everything Depp touches it’s sure to be a hit.

Johnny Depp’s longterm girlfriend and mother of his two children, French actress and singer Vanessa Paradis, has her first album out in seven years, called Divine Idylle. It features a lovely painting of Vanessa on the cover made with black lines and splotches of muted pink, light yellow and orange.

It turns out that album portrait of Vanessa was painted by Johnny himself. It’s a very good likeness and I never knew he was also a talented artist:

Johnny Depp… has added artist to his resume. He painted a portrait of the mother of his two children, French pop star Vanessa Paradis, for her upcoming album, Divine Idylle! His beautiful rose- and gold-toned album cover isn’t the only family member’s contribution to Vanessa’s first pop record in seven years! Their 5-year-old son, Jack, sings a few lines in “Jackadi,” the last song on the album.

[From Star Magazine, print edition, October 8, 2007]

I’ve never heard that Johnny Depp dabbled in art in his free time, and I couldn’t find anything about his hobby online or in his Wikipedia entry. He seems to be a multi-talented guy who doesn’t talk about his skills.

While Depp helped his wife out in her professional life by painting for her album, she is said to have given him singing lessons so he can do his own vocals in the upcoming Sweeney Todd musical. It is due for release on December 21, 2007.

Depp is going to star in the film Shantaram, which begins filming in January. It’s based on the true life story of a convict who escaped from an Australian prison to live in Mumbai.

According to IMDB, he also has three other films in the works, The Rum Diary and Sin City 2 and 3.

Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis are shown at a Mont Blanc event in Geneva, Switzerland in April of 2006.

People magazine has released their annual best dressed list, ahead of the best dressed issue of their magazine. Then again, with a stylist in tow it’s easy to gain best dressed kudos, so the worst dressed is probably more interesting! I wish that list was longer.

Best Dressed 2007

Beyoncé Knowles – The Showstopper
Cameron Diaz – The Legs
Katie Holmes – The Classic
Penélope Cruz - The Continental
Jessica Biel – The All-American
Drew Barrymore – The Chameleon
Jennifer Lopez – The Glamour Girl
Reese Witherspoon – The Celeb Next Door
Gwen Stefani – The Trendsetter
Ali Larter – The Newcomer

Best Dressed Men

David Beckham
George Clooney
Johnny Depp
Terrence Howard
Brad Pitt

Best Dressed Couples

Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt
Gabriel Aubry & Halle Berry
Gwen Stefani & Gavin Rossdale
Tony Parker & Eva Longoria

World’s Worst Dresser

Eva Green

Most Shocking Fashion Moments

Britney Spears shaves her head
Sanjaya Malakar’s faux-hawk
Kidnapped British sailors in oversized Iranian suits
Sen. Hillary Clinton’s cleavage
Naomi Campbell’s dress-up for community service
Paris Hilton’s get-out-of-jail get-up

Just Plain Wrong

Sienna Miller in black tights
Avril Lavigne’s combat boots & pink frilly dress

New York Daily News

Why have best dressed men lists? Even the most stylish man just tends to walk around in either a tuxedo or a t-shirt. There’s not much complicated about men’s dressing, why not have best punk rocker style for say, Pete Wentz? Or Best male use of make up, which would probably also be won by Pete Wentz.

I’m also confused about the criteria: Avril Lavinge’s lace dress and combat boots is a style no-no, but Lily Allen’s signature look is a dress and hi-top sneakers (Lily is mentioned in a British best dressed section of the magazine). Aren’t these just different versions of the same look? And none of the women on the best dressed list are cleavage shy, but it’s not okay for Hilary Clinton to show off her assets?

World’s Worst Dresser Eva Green is shown at the Casino Royale world premiere on 11/14/06 and the BAFTA awards on 2/11/07. (PRPhotos)

World’s Best Dressed Woman Beyonce Knowles is shown at the VMAs, at the opening of Jay-Z’s 40-40 club in Vegas on 9/6/07 and at the launch of Emporio Armani Diamonds Fragrance on 8/16/07. (PRPhotos)

Just Plain Wrong Sienna Miller in black tights at the Factory Girl UK premiere on 3/13/07 and at the 2006 Costume Institute Gala on 5/1/06. (PRPhotos)

Just Plain Wrong Avril Lavigne in a pink dress with combat boots at her CD release party in April. (via Faded Youth)

Johnny Depp realized that his two Rottweiler dogs, Red and Blue, might pose a threat to his children and put them up in a posh pet resort two years ago at a cost of $2k per month per dog. That’s more than most people pay in rent.

One of the dogs bit an employee at the facility, so it was probably a good idea for Depp to make sure they were no longer around his children:

Two years ago, [Johnny Depp] sent this two Rottweilers, Red and Blue, to the Crossroads County Club Pet Resort in Anaheim, California, because they were too aggressive to keep around his two young children…

“Johnny can’t bring himself to have them put down,” a source told The Enquirer. “So he pays $2,000 a month on each dog for them to be kept at a kennel.”

“At first, Red and Blue had the run of the kennel. But then, after one of them bit an employee, they were kept locked in cages.”

An employee at Crossroads confirmed: “Johnny Depp’s dogs, Red and Blue, are here. They’ve been here a couple of years.”

[From the National Enquirer print edition, August 13, 2007]

Depp has two children, son Jack, who turns 5 tomorrow, and daughter Lily-Rose, 8. This story just confirms what everyone already knows: that Depp’s a good guy who puts his family first but still obviously cares for his pets.

In other Johnny Depp news, he is involved in two projects that are coming up, an adaptation of Hunter S Thompson’s autobiography, The Rum Diaries, and the big screen version of the campy gothic soap opera Dark Shadows. Depp was just named the third most bankable actor. He was behind Matt Damon and Brad Pitt, and was placed third in a tie with Vince Vaughn. I would have thought he would be at first or second easily.

Update: A lot of commentors are outraged that Depp boards his Rottweilers, saying that being in a cage all day is exceptionally cruel. I agree, and I assumed that although the dogs may be caged part of the time that this article must not be correct. According to the website for the kennel, dogs get one-on-one time twice a day and there is an option where they can go out to the park once a day. Since Depp is paying so much for their care, I assume he paid for this level of service and that the dogs do get out. It does look like a top notch kennel, although commentors are probably right that it can’t compare to a loving home.

Forbes.com just released an analysis of who gives movies studios the most bang for their buck. I was kind of surprised, but it turns out the best investment is Matt Damon. In a way it makes sense: those “It” actors and actresses command such huge paychecks, that investment-wise, it’s hard to get the same return. For every dollar that Matt Damon is paid for a film, the movie returned $29. Pretty good deal.

“According to Forbes’ first-ever list of Ultimate Star Payback, the movie stars who deliver the best bang for the buck aren’t the industry’s top earners. Matt Damon, the soft-spoken leading man in box office winner The Bourne Ultimatum, turns out to be Hollywood’s best investment. For every dollar Damon got paid for his last three roles, his films returned $29 of gross income. And, surprisingly, former ‘Friends’ star Jennifer Aniston is Hollywood’s most profitable actress, despite duds like ‘Rumor Has It.’ For ever dollar the former Mrs. Pitt was paid for her last three major roles, her films on average returned $17 of gross income.”

[From Forbes.com]

Second place for actors went to Brad Pitt, and third place was a tie between Johnny Depp and Vince Vaughn. Vince Vaughn is the biggest surprise to me. It must be because he makes about $34 a film, so if the film makes $43,000 you’ve got a pretty good deal. Vaughn’s rate is actually about a million a film, a relative bargain in Hollywood terms. Forbes points out that his last three movies “’The Break-Up,’ ‘Wedding Crashers,’ ‘Dodgeball’–have been box office bonanzas relative to their low production costs. (At $52 million, The Break-Up’s budget was roughly 20% of “Pirates of the Caribbean, Dead Man’s Chest.).” The big budget actors like Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise and Will Smith only averaged about $12 in gross income per salary dollar.

The actor who gave the worst return, dollar for dollar? Russell Crowe. Forbes points out that his “standing in Hollywood has shrunk since he scored back-to-back consecutive Oscar nods for ‘The Insider’ (1999), ‘Gladiator’ (2000) and ‘A Beautiful Mind’ (2001). Crowe’s last three films earned on average just $5 in gross income for every dollar spent on the star. His most recent, last year’s ‘A Good Year,’ was made for $35 million, almost one-third of which went to Crowe’s salary. The film earned only $40 million in worldwide box office, making it a huge disappointment for Fox, which produced and distributed it.” Logically, it seems like the opposite should be true. Who would ever have guessed that getting three Oscar nominations in three years could be bad for your career?

You know who is not a good investment? Lindsay Lohan. For some reason Forbes doesn’t even bother mentioning this. Probably because it’s so obvious it doesn’t need stating. Ironically, I bet this report will raise Matt Damon’s salary, thus making him less of a great deal. Oh well. He’s still a good actor, and fun to look at.

Picture note by JayBird: Here’s Matt Damon yesterday at the Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival. Header image of Matt and his wife Luciana Bozan Barroso from the “The Bourne Ultimatum” Los Angeles Premiere. Images thanks to PR Photos.