Depp in France, Jolie in D.C.
and Tinkerbell Speaks
July 2006 Movie News
A French Pirate?: Probably not. But Johnny Depp apparently loves living in France. He told Newsweek, I've always loved it there. The phones don't ring as much. Movies are never brought up in conversation. I'll take the kids and we'll go out to the trampoline and the swing set, and we'll stop by the garden and see how our tomatoes are doing." Back in 2003 he was quoted in a German magazine as being highly critical of the Bush Administration over the war in Iraq, but he's hardly the first or will be the last to do so. I am happy as long as he continues taking on unique and memorable roles.
Speaking of...: Angelina Jolie (pictured left) is back in the news, expressing her wonderment at the U.S. government for their fiscal priorities. She explained that "spending money on war rather than dealing with situations that could end up in conflict if left unassisted could prove costly in the end." As a United Nations goodwill ambassador, her words carry a bit more weight than your average Hollywood celeb. She's in D.C. to raise funds for AIDS orphans, but has been told that the war in Iraq has more priority.
A Voice!: No, no more politics. Tinkerbell, Peter Pan's flying fairy friend, finally has something to say. And the actor Brittany Murphy will be the one saying it. The 28-year old is delighted in her new role. "How could one possibly say no to Disney and being the voice of Tinker Bell? I thought maybe I'm too spunky or gritty, but that's who Tinker Bell is." TB is returning to the screen (actually direct to video) in a film slated to be sold next year in Disney's new Fairies line of products. They expect this line (aimed at girls aged 4-11) will be at least as successful as their Princess line, generating $1 billion in annual sales over five years. That's certainly something to talk about!
How Much Is It Really Worth?: Here are a few answers. At a late June auction in New York by the Los Angeles company Julien Auctions a few famous items were sold off. One of the steel-rimmed hats tossed by OddJob (played deliciously by Harold Sakata) in Goldfinger went for $33,600. Elvis trumps any villain, however, as one of his belts (worn in 1972) auctioned for $66,000 - more than six times what the company thought it would go for. The King still has his fans! (I wonder if they think he might come around to collect it. After all, he's still alive, right?) And Dustin Hoffman comes in 3rd in this race... one of his dresses from Tootsie went for only $26,400. And just to show you who really won: the auction company walked away with a 20% commission fee on the total of $655,000.
