During an acting career as diverse as Johnny Depp’s, it is hard to pick out just two unforgettable moments that define his career. I think some of the best characteristics of Johnny are his flexibility in roles and dedication to getting it right. He is the kind of person that takes his job seriously and conducts a lot of research for a part. The moviegoer with an appreciation for subtle nuances and details all love the acting of Johnny Depp.

That being said, my favorite role of his came in the cult classic Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, where he portrayed Raoul Duke, a journalist with a knack for introspection and reckless drug use on his search for the American Dream. The acting talent of Depp is on full display when he checks into the hotel, high on LSD. The drug begins to take effect on him as he goes up to the hotel desk and he is left standing there to embarrass himself while sweaty and incomprehensible. “I realize his name is not on that list, but we must have a suite!”


Another of my favorite Depp moments came in the movie Blow where he portrayed major cocaine dealer George Jung. It really speaks to Depp’s character as to how he can make a drug addicted journalist and cocaine dealer lovable. In Blow, we deal with a character who is getting rich off of cocaine, but we still feel bad for him. In the end, everything turns on George as he tries to straighten his life out. No matter the role, Johnny can nail it.

I guess my favorite moment would have to be from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Throughout the whole movie, his depiction of Raoul Duke makes you laugh, shake your head, and empathize all at the same time. This is why I am excited about his latest role in Tim Burton’s Sweeney Todd. Those who are familiar with the work of Tim Burton will not be disappointed, and those who aren’t familiar with his or Johnny’s work may find this a good film to get started. If you haven’t seen the previews, you can always visit the official Sweeney Todd movie site or visit Sweeney Todd on MySpace!

As you probably know, Kanye West’s mom recently passed away after a botched plastic surgery. The singer and his mother were particularly close, and he took the death very hard. Here is a video demonstrating their strong relationship, with Kanye’s popular R&B anthem, “Hey Mama”

When people think about renovating their homes or improving their property value, very often the bathroom is missed. After all, it’s where all the dirty business takes place, so one could expect someone to lag behind when it comes to this room. However, having a high quality bathroom adorned with solid bathroom vanities could be a deal breaker in your house. Those sitting on the fence to buy or not may be turned off by a mediocre bathroom, so be sure you spend some time beautifying it, too!

The final stop on my trip through North Carolina and Tennessee ended at the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I have always had a fascination with lighthouses, so the Outer Banks was an absolute must on the trip. Some of the oldest functioning lighthouses, in all their glory, still stand on guard on the Outer Banks. I remember a few years ago they moved legendary Cape Hatteras lighthouse a few miles inland as waves were eroding the islands.

Not too far away from the monumental Biltmore Estate across the border into Tennessee is Pigeon Forge. There are plenty of attractions in Pigeon Forge, including Dolly Parton’s personal theme park, Dollywood, and a plethora of other entertainment options for the whole family. You can choose to lodge in town at a generic motel, or you can rent Pigeon Forge cabins with beautiful views of the uninhabited Great Smoky Mountains.

I recently visited the Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina. The estate is the largest private home in the United States! One could spend hours touring the many rooms. Everything in the house, for the most part, is original. The Vanderbilts were an extremely rich family, and they didn’t cut any corners when it came to their estate. Even the recliner was made of high quality material that was still beautiful after a hundred years. It it really worth a trip to see early examples of big spenders in America.

How many times have high profile athletes, and sometimes even celebrities, failed a drug test and it turned out the false positive was created by nutritional supplements? I don’t think anything that is available over the counter without a prescription should be banned by any sport, nor should it cause false positives on drug tests. When mau hung turns up as methamphetamine on a drug test, it ruins many lives and raises suspicion on people.

R&B and rap artist Usher welcomed a new member to his family last week, newborn Usher Raymond V. His wife, Tameka Foster already had three kids from a previous marriage, but little Usher is the first child for the star. In a statement released by his publicist. Usher said he was proud of his new blessing. The new Usher weighed in at nearly 8 pounds. The couple. Usher and Foster, have been married since August 3rd after a private ceremony in a court house.

My grandmother died a few years ago at the age of 97. During her long life, she traveled the world on what little money she had, and always made sure to bring back unique gifts for everyone. When she went to Germany in the 70s, she brought back beautifully handcrafted grandfather clocks, two different ones. She kept one in her house until she died and gave the other to my father, and it now resides with me. I never thought I’d ever see such fine quality craftsmanship on a clock again. I thought the time for quality timepieces like the ones Grandma Annie brought home was long gone. That was until I visited the folks at 1-8004CLOCKS.com and their quality collection of new Howard Miller grandfather clocks. You can tell right away these people know their stuff when it comes to quality timepieces, as evidenced by their informative clock blog.

I was trying to think of Christmas presents for the person who is hard to buy for, and I thought, why not a grandfather clock? What better way to ring in 2008 than with the beautiful chimes of a musical clock. When I was browsing their stock, I found this lovely contemporary piece here that has an old world feel while looking modern as ever. Whether you are looking to replicate a grandfather clock of yesterday or you need a more contemporary version to satisfy your decor, you will find it at 1-8004CLOCKS.com.

As if Kanye West wasn’t having a hard enough year with his mother dying unexpectedly… now, he had to deal with washed up stunt motorcyclist Evel Knievel, who sued Kanya because of his depiction in a music video. In all reality, most people probably no longer recognize Evel and he just wanted to make sure people remember his legacy of trying to jump over things. The case never went to court, it was settled at Evel’s Clearwater condo. Since first saying his depiction was degrading, he now refers to Kanye as a nice gentleman and “hope everything works out” with his mother. What comforting words for Kanye West!