Ada yang Merasa Pinjem Buku-Buku Ini?

Saya itu kolektor buku. Karena mulainya juga sejak kecil, koleksi buku saya ya lumayan juga. Sebagian merupakan hasil perjuangan sendiri dan sisanya pemberian orang lain. Suatu hari saya pernah mendata jumlah buku-buku yang sebagian tersimpan rapi di kediaman orang tua saya di kawasan Depok, Jawa Barat. Sebagian lagi saya tata di toko Cherishta Handmade & Design di Berbah, Yogyakarta. 

Tiba-tiba saya teringat daftar buku-buku saya yang hilang. Hilang. Raib. Tidak jelas keberadaannya. Beberapa di antaranya itu buku bagus yang oke banget. Parahnya lagi buku-buku tersebut kenangan dari orang-orang. Menyebalkan! Menyebalkan karena hilangnya buku-buku tersebut justru berawal dari kecerobohan saya sendiri. Maklum saya itu kan doyan promo tentang buku bagus ke orang di sekitar saya. Tujuan saya sih biar mereka ikut suka baca kaya saya. Masalahnya orang yang kena omongan saya itu biasanya memang males banget baca buku atau justru kebalikannya, cinta banget sama buku. Mereka yang pada dasarnya suka pusing lihat tulisan panjang cenderung lupa kalau pernah meminjam buku dari saya. Alhasil keberadaan buku pinjaman tersebut dipastikan pindah ke dunia antah berantah. Huikss...

Status buku pinjaman juga tidak kalah naasnya jika berada di tangan penggila buku. Karena tahu kualitasnya, buku pinjaman dari saya langsung deh berpindah kepemilikan. Saya juga yang salah sih soalnya suka lupa transaksi peminjaman tersebut. Sebenernya saya sudah berusaha mencatat sih tapi mencar-mencar. Jadi lupa deh. Xixixixi... Saya lupa, si peminjam pura-pura lupa. Lima bulan berlalu, satu tahun berlalu, dan buku itu secara de yure berganti pemilik. Yah no problemo lah kalau kondisinya seperti itu. Soalnya saya juga beberapa kali ngembat buku orang lain. :P

Oiya ini daftar beberapa buku saya yang hilang. Daftarnya akan bertambah kalau tiba-tiba saya kangen dan teringat sama buku pinjaman itu. Nambah luka banget sih tapi siapa tahu aja ada teringat pernah meminjem buku-buku ini dari saya. Saya doain kamu langsung jadi orang kece pangkat tujuh deh. Hehehe..

1. The Diary of Anne Frank. Kumpulah cerita harian Anne Frank selama hidupnya di kamp konsentrasi Nazi. Buku keren yang saya dapat sebagai hadiah ulang tahun dari Cherista (Rina Debora Pasaribu, Agnes Joyce Panjaitan, Natasya Christy, Intan Oktavia, dan Switenia Macrophilla).

2. Sister of My Heart. Penulisnya Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. Buku feminis yang terangkai dalam narasi yang manis. Latar belakangnya status perempuan di India yang sangat dipandang rendah sekali. Cerita tentang persahabatan dua perempuan yang sangat bertolak belakang kepribadiannya. Sama seperti saya dan pemberi buku tersebut, Arvinna Christina Sumenge. Sedih banget buku itu hilang karena di dalamnya ada ucapan selamat ulang tahun dan foto kami berdua yang suatu hari centil berfoto di Jonas Photo, Bandung Indah Plaza versi jadul. Xixixixi..

3. The Alchemist. Buku legenda dari penulis kesayangan saya, Paulo Coelho. Saya jadi kecanduan Mr. Coelho sejak bertemu dengan buku The Alchemist ketika berkunjung ke sebuah toko buku di area kampus saya U.N.P.A.D Bandung (baca : Unpad Jatinenjer).

4. Laela Majnun. Buku super duper romantis tentang Qays dan Laela. Sepasang kekasih yang saling mencintai tapi tidak bisa bersatu karena ditentang keluarga. Sampai akhirnnya Laela mati dan Qays menjadi Majnun, orang gila. Kisah ini konon menjadi inspirasi Romeo and Juliet ala Shakespeare. Ahh...

5. Tirtaman Cilik. Ini sebenernya buku fiksi anak yang sewaktu saya kecil juga sudah terlihat tidak menarik. Tapi isinya seru! Kisah kehidupan Tirtaman manusia ikan di dunia air. Mungkin Spongebob Squarepant teradaptasi dari buku Tirtaman Cilik deh. Hehehe.. Asumsi asal bunyi nih saya!

6. Beberapa buku Goosebumps. Serial horor anak karangan R. L. Stine yang heboh sekali pada tahun 1990-an. Sebagai generasi '90, dahulu saya merasa wajib membaca buku ini. Sayang beberapa koleksi saya raib. Puhptthhh... 

7. Beberapa nomor awal Detektif Conan. Saya tidak terlalu suka komik. Tapi Sinichi Kudo, Conan Edogawa, dan permainan detektif berhasil menggoda saya. Ayoama Gosho, penulis Detektif Conan, sudah membuat lebih dari 50 seri. Saya sempat mengoleksi dari sejak Edisi 1. Perjuangan juga obrak-abrik tukang loak di Pasar Kramat Jati dan Pasar Mester, Jakarta Timur. Sayang, beberapa buku sudah resmi hilang. Huikss..

8. .... (menyusul yaaa! Sekarang tanggal 16 April 2013 pukul 4.22 pagi. Waktunya tidur. Hehehe...).

Epoy,

Berbah 16042013

Antara Lumba-Lumba, Musik, dan Bondan Prakoso

22 Juli 2010 – 7:24 PM – Sagan Beberapa hari terarkhir ini saya lagi sering mendengarkan lagu “Ya Sudahlah”. Pertama kali tahu lagu yang satu ini ketika berkunjung ke Kalasan, daerah perbatasan antara Sleman dan Solo. Walau ga ngeh siapa sih penyanyinya, saya suka banget lirik dan musik awalnya yang akustik banget. “Ini lagunya Bondan Prakoso sama Fade 2 Black, tante,” celetuk Geovanny, ponakannya Ruben yang lebih sering dipanggil Jovan itu. Jiahhh saya langsung kaget. Pikir saya, busyet deh kecil-kecil udah tahu Fade 2 Black. Ternyata judul lagunya itu “Ya Sudahlah”. Memang, yang melantunkannya itu Bondan Prakoso bersama band barunya, Fade 2 Black. Semakin sering saya mendengarkan lagu ini semakin saya gatal ingin menulis tentang Si Lumba-lumba yang satu ini. Cekidot…

Si Lumba-lumba Idola 1990-an
[Baca dulu deh biografi Bondan. Ceritanya intro nih :P ]
Lahir : Bondan Prakoso (Namanya asli Jawa tenan)
Panggilan : Mr. B
Lahir : Jakarta, 8 Mei 1984 (Tepat satu hari setelah saya lahir.. hihihhi!)
Orangtua : Lili Yulianingsih (ibune) & Sisco Batara (bapake)
Istri : Margareth Caroline Prakoso (Astajim…ternyata dia udah bapak-bapak)
Anak : Kara Anabelle (tahun 2010 berumur 1,4 tahun)
Tahun aktif : 1988-sekarang
Pekerjaan : Musikus, Penulis Lagu, Pemain Bass, Produser Rekaman, Arranger Jingle (Musik abis!)
Instrumen : Vokal, Bass, Gitar
Website : www.rezpector.com
Alamat : PO BOX 1281 JKS 12012


Nama Bondan Prakoso pasti tidak asing di telinga anak-anak kelahiran 1980-an seperti saya. Kala itu dunia hiburan anak masih sarat dengan lagu yang 100% anak-anak. Ini suatu anugrah tersendiri lho! Bertolak-belakang dengan kondisi saat ini karena anak-anak lebih familiar dengan lagunya “orang gede” karena penyanyi cilik udah kaya badak bercula satu, alias langka banget. Takut disangka ekspolitasi anak kali ya. Hehe..

Masih banyak penyanyi cilik di era 1990-an. Salah satunya Bondan Prakoso yang “nyemplung” ke dunia hiburan sejak tahun 1988. Selain Bondan, masih ada nama-nama lain seperti Enno Lerian, Fajar Bahari, Puput Melati, Eza Yayang, dan Agnes Monika. Menyusul kemudian Joshua, Trio Kwek-Kwek, Chikita Meidi, Tasya, dan terakhir itu Sherina yang muncul di awal masa kegelapan penyanyi cilik Indonesia. Hahaha.. Gimana tidak dapat dikatakan Dark Age, lihat saja acara pencetak bintang cilik sekarang ini. Pesertanya diwajibkan menyanyikan lagu cinta-cintaan melulu. Kemauan pasar jadi raja!

Kembali ke Bondan. Namanya langsung melejit ketika dia memopulerkan lagu Si Lumba-Lumba. Saat itu Bondan masih berusia 8 tahun. Banyak anak-anak, termasuk saya dan adik saya, merengek luar biasa minta dibelikan kaset Lumba-lumba. Padahal kami berdua bukan termasuk anak yang gemar meminta sesuatu ke orangtua kami. Tapi Bondan Prakoso seperti menghipnotis pikiran dan imajinasi anak-anak seukuran saya.

“Si hitam, dari Laut Jawa
Si hitam, dari Selat Sunda
Si hitam, dari Laut Cina,
Si Hitam, dimana-mana ada… Si Lumba-lumba!”

Bondan kecil terlihat sudah menyenangi musik beraliran keras. Pada beberapa bagian lagu terasa nuansa rock-nya. Gaya yang energik, tanpa menghancurkan karakter anak-anaknya, menjadi persuasi tersendiri bagi anak-anak saat itu untuk mencintai lumba-lumba. Sepertinya saat itu, Taman Impian Jaya Ancol langsung kebanjiran pengunjung gara-gara Bondan. Suatu kebanggaan tersendiri bisa foto ketika dicium mamalia sahabat manusia itu.

Sepanjang periode 1988 hingga 1995, Bondan menelurkan delapan album yang saya juga ga tahu apa aja itu. (Hehehe dasar saya malas getting info). Tapi kiprah idola cilik yang satu ini tidak langsung terkubur seriring dengan pertambahan usianya. Bondang tetap berkarir di dunia musik sewaktu memasuki fase remaja dan dewasa muda. Kendati dengan genre yang berbeda dengan Bondan kecil.

Transformasi Si Lumba-Lumba Dewasa
Versi baru Bondan Prakoso muncul pada 1999. Si lumba-lumba menjelma menjadi bassist handal beraliran keras melalui Funky Kopral. Selain dirinya juga ada Anggara Mulia (Angga), Bobbi Wibowo (Robbi), Kristo Perwira, dan Arlonsy Miraldi (Onci). Setidaknya mereka melahirkan tiga album sepanjang 1999-2003 di bawah bendera Universal Music. Tahun 2002 Oncy cabs ke Ungu lalu posisinya diganti Iman Taufik Rachman.

Funky Kopral, dan Bondan Prakoso tentunya, tidak bisa dipandang sebelah mata. Mereka sempat mendapat penghargaan Anugrah Musik Indonesia (AMI) Sharp Award pada tahun 2001 untuk kategori Grup Alternatif Terbaik. Entah apa yang menggugah Setiawan Djody sehingga hartawan multi talented ini berkolaborasi dengan Funky Kopral. Album yang dirilis pada 2003 ini bertajuk Misteri Cinta dan di tahun yang sama Funky Kopral kembali meraih AMI Sharp Award. Namun kali ini untuk kategori Kolaborasi Rock terbaik.

Sayangnya setelah itu Funkop, sebutan lain Funky Kopral, sempat vakum. Mereka sempat menjelaskan alasannya melalui Rolling Stone Indoesia. Beberapa personel Funkop terbentur beberapa kepentingan. Setelah Oncy dengan Ungu, Iman semakin serius menggarap J-Rock sedangkan Bondan sudah terikat kontrak dengan label untuk berkolaborasi dengan Fade 2 Black. Tinggalah Robbi dan Angga saja.

Iman J-Rock pun menawarkan Ilham, adiknya, untuk menempati posisi bassist yang ditinggalkan Bondan. Ditambah Echank yang sudah terbiasa bekerja sama dengan Tere dan Audy, Jilid Barunya Funkop muncul sekitar Juni 2006. Inilah komposisinya. Angga pada vokal, Robbi pada drum, Echank pada gitar, dan Ilham pada bass tentunya. Mereka tetap mengusung musik funk yang dipadu dengan pop dan rock.

Bayangan masa lalu memang sulit untuk dilupakan. Tidak jarang personel Funkop jilid Baru harus mengusung dada karena dalam beberapa penampilan masih banyak penonton yang meneriakkan nama Bondan. Rasanya pedih sekali menjadi Ilham. Funkop pun sempat mendapat cibiran ketika mulai membawa tema cinta. Namun Funkop tetap berjalan dikala Bondan sudah berlari lebih dulu bersama Fade 2 Black.

Bondan Prakoso & Fade 2 Black mengusung musik Hip Hop. Bersama kelompok rap asal Bogor ini, mereka sudah menghasilkan tiga album sampai dengan 2010. Tiga lagu jagoan mereka antara lain “Bunga” pada album Respect (2005), “Kroncong Protol” yang unik itu pada album Unity (2007), dan “Ya Sudahlah” pada album teranyar mereka yang bertajuk “For All”.

Seakan lengket dengan nama Bondan Prakoso, tahun 2008 kelompok rap ini mendapat AMI Sharp Award (lagi) untuk kategori Group Rap terbaik. Album Bondan Prakoso & Fade 2 Black pun laris manis di pasar komersil musik Indonesia. Pihak Sony BMG (temennya Badan Meteorologi dan Geofisika :P hihihihi) member kebebasan kepada Fade 2 Black untuk mengatur sendiri jeda waktu pembuatan album yang satu dengan musik yang lain.

Bondan benar-benar tidak bisa dipandang sebelah mata. Maksudnya kemampuan bermain bass-nya yaaa… Keahliannya dalam memetik bass dipandang begitu atraktif bagi para pemerhati musik. Jika tidak, mana mungkin Bondan bergabung dengan 12 pemain bass dari band ternama Indonesia untuk beraksi dalam satu panggung di sekitar 2006 lalu. Sebut saja Thomas “GIGI”, Rindra “Padi”, Bongky “BIP”, dan Adam “Sheila on 7”. Pertunjukan para bassist handal ini didapuk penghargaan dari Museum Rekor Indonesia (MURI) sebagai penampilan bassist terbanyak dalam satu panggung.


Si Lumba-Lumba juga Manusia Biasa
Rock-rappers yang mukanya jauh dari kesan beringas ini merupakan anak kedua dari tiga bersaudara. Masa perkuliahannya dihabiskan di kampus D3 Sastra Belanda Universitas Indonesia. Bondan menggilai musik namun dia juga gemar membaca dan menonton film. Ada tiga buku yang selalu dia referensikan yakni “Huru-Hara Kiamat”, “Jangan Bersedih”, dan “Chicken Soup”. Halah bukunya jauh banget dari kesan cadas. Setali tiga uang dengan masalah minuman dan makanan karena ternyata Lumba-Lumba kasep ini doyan air mineral, chicken teriyaki, nasi goreng yang dicampur ati dan pete. Huahahaha…

Bondan memilih menikah muda pada 17 Desember 2007 bersama Margareth Caroline yang akrab dipanggil Margie. Dia percaya dunia pernikahan akan membuat dirinya menjadi pribagi yang lebih baik ketimbang sekedar kongkow-kongkow bersama rekan-rekan. Sekarang malah sudah resmi menjadi bapak-bapak karena sudah ada Kara Anabelle dalam kehidupan mereka.

Dunia berita pergosipan mencatat, resepsi pernikahan Bondan dan Margie berlangsung di Restoran Cibinting, CIputat, Tangerang. Mas kawinnya jauh dari kata luarr biasa. Hanya seperangkat alat sholat dan emas 17 gram. Acaranya pun tergolong senyap karena Bondan ingin pernikahannya berlangsung dengan khidmat.

Beuuhhh mereka itu ya pasangan yang pasti langsung mendapat decak kagum penuh iri dari orang-orang. Romantis dalam kesederhanaannya. Ya setidaknya itu yang tergambar dalam berita infotainment. Hmmm mungkin bisa dibilang mereka itu versi lain dari Igor Saykoji dan istri.. Dan saya pun mengakhiri tulisan ini dengan raut mupeng. Hihihihihi… (dari berbagai sumber).

Discography of Bondan Prakoso
1988 – 1995
* 8 Album Child Singer

1999 - 2001
* 2 Album with Funky Kopral (Funchopat in 1999 and Funchedelic Rhytm & Distorsion in 2000)
* Bondan as bassist and music producer
* Universal Music Indonesia
* Funky Kopral got AMI Sharp Award 2001 for Best Altenative Group

2002
* Misteri Cinta, a collaboration album of Setiawan Djody feat Funky Kopral
* Bondan as bassist only
* Airo Record
* Got AMI Sharp Award 2003 for Rock Collaboration

2005
* Bondan Prakoso & Fade 2 Black
* Album : Respect
* Take positions as producer, composer, arranger, singer, bass & guitar but definitely he play all instrument.
Ckckckckck….
* Sony BMG

2006
* Bass Heroes (13 Top Bass Player Indonesia) including Bondan Prakoso, Thomas “GIGI”, Rindra “Padi”, Bongki “BIP”, Ronny “Cokelat”, Adam “SO7”, Indro, Bintang, Iwan Xaverius, Ari Firman, Arya, Barry Likumahua, and Nissa “Omellete”.
* Sony BMG
* Break the record MURI (Penampilan Bassist terbanyak dalam satu panggung)

2007
* Bondan Prakoso & Fade 2 Black
* Album : Unity
* Sony BMG

2010
* Bondan Prakoso & Fade 2 Black
* Album : For All
* Sony BMG

Backstreet Boy Howie Dorough to Be a Dad

[taken from People]

By Marisa Laudadio

Originally posted Tuesday January 13, 2009 06:45 PM EST

Howie and Leigh Dorough married in December 2007 Photo by: Damon Tucci

Backstreet Boy Howie Dorough and his wife Leigh, a real estate broker, are expecting their first child in June, they tell PEOPLE exclusively.

"I know she's going to be a great mother," says Howie. "If she can take care of me, the biggest baby in the entire world, I think she's going to be okay with the little one coming along."

Adds Leigh: "I think he's going to be more hands-on than anyone expects. He's someone who will get up in the night and change diapers. He's such a partner of mine."

After marrying in December 2007, the Doroughs planned to travel before starting a family. "We've been together going on eight years, but we wanted to enjoy and adjust to living married life first," Howie tells PEOPLE. "So for the first eight months we traveled all over the world on an extended honeymoon."

Howie, 35, and Leigh, 34, had "an amazing time" as they hopped from Japan to Australia to Europe and back to North America on tour with his band. But tragedy struck last spring when Dorough's father Hoke was diagnosed with brain and lung cancer. He passed away just three months later in June 2008.

Focusing on Family

"That kind of put things into perspective – passing on and bringing new life into the world," says Howie. "At that point we started focusing in on having a child. The baby is due the same month that my dad passed away last year, so it's almost like realizing life is a circle.”

Leigh, whose cravings include blueberry muffins, devised a plan to break the news to Howie after discovering she was pregnant after only a month of trying.

"Leigh surprised me with breakfast in bed. [I knew] something was up," Howie recalls. "I looked down and saw the pregnancy test strip [on the tray]. The look on my face was like something from America's Funniest Home Videos. I thought, 'Oh my god! Here we go! This is it!' "

Says Leigh of conceiving so quickly: "We were really blessed and lucky."

Designing a Nursery

The couple, who doesn't want to find out the baby's sex before the birth, is planning a gender-neutral nursery. "We have a home in L.A. that's modern, a lot of wood," says Howie. "We want to do earth tones [for the nursery]. We've been talking about a jungle or safari theme."

The Doroughs say that many on Howie's side of the family are thinking blue – although Howie's siblings have children, and Leigh's sister had twins last year, there isn't a male to carry on the Dorough family surname. "So I think everybody would love a boy," he says. "We're just hoping for a healthy baby."

Howie is the third Backstreet Boy to expand his family – bandmate Brian Littrell and wife Leighanne have a 6-year-old son, Baylee, who was diagnosed with atypical Kawasaki Disease last month. Kevin Richardson, who left the group in 2006, has an 18-month-old son named Mason with wife Kristin.

The Backstreet Boys – who Howie says were "surprised but very, very enthusiastic" upon hearing his baby news – are currently recording a new album in L.A. before they head to South America in February to complete their world tour.

About Johnny Depp

Taken from : Strips4YOU

John Christopher "Johnny" Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor, known for his portrayals of offbeat and eccentric characters such as Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series. He has collaborated with director and close friend Tim Burton in six films: Edward Scissorhands (1990), Ed Wood (1994), Sleepy Hollow (1999), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), Corpse Bride (2005) and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007). Depp has also garnered acclaim for his portrayals of real life figures such as Edward Wood, Jr., in Ed Wood. Films featuring Depp have grossed over $2.2 billion at the United States box office and over $4.7 billion worldwide. Depp has been nominated for three Academy Awards and has won Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Early life
Depp was born in Owensboro, Kentucky, the son of Betty Sue Palmer (née Wells), a waitress, and John Christopher Depp, Sr., a civil engineer. He has one brother, Danny, and two sisters, Christie (now his personal manager) and Debbie. Depp has German, Gypsy (mostly from a great-grandmother),Cherokee and Irish ancestry. The book Johnny Depp: A Kind of Illusion (ISBN 1-905287-04-6) states that the Depp family originated with a French Huguenot, Pierre Deppe or Dieppe, who settled in Virginia around 1700. Depp has said he doesn't know the origin of his surname, but jokes that the name translates to "idiot" in German (it is actually a minor insult meaning fool). The family moved frequently during Depp's childhood, and he and his siblings lived in more than 20 different locations, settling in Miramar, Florida, in 1970. In 1978, Depp's parents divorced. He engaged in self-harm as a child, due to the stress of dealing with family problems and his own insecurity. He has seven or eight scars from practicing self-harm. In a 1993 interview, he explained his self-injury by saying, "My body is a journal in a way. It's like what sailors used to do, where every tattoo meant something, a specific time in your life when you make a mark on yourself, whether you do it yourself with a knife or with a professional tattoo artist".

1980s
Depp's mother bought her son a guitar when he was 12, and Depp began playing in various garage bands. His first band was in honor of his girlfriend Meredith. A year after his parents' divorce, Depp dropped out of high school to become a rock musician. As he once explained on Inside the Actors Studio, he attempted to go back to school two weeks later, but the principal told him to follow his dream of being a musician. He played with The Kids, a band that enjoyed modest local success. The Kids set out together for Los Angeles in pursuit of a record deal, changing their name to Six Gun Method. The group split before signing a record deal. Depp subsequently collaborated with the band Rock City Angels and co-wrote their song "Mary", which appeared on Rock City Angels' debut for Geffen Records titled Young Man's Blues.

On December 24, 1983, Depp married Lori Anne Allison, a makeup artist and sister of his band's bass player and singer. During Depp's marriage, his wife worked as a makeup artist while he worked a variety of odd jobs, including a telemarketer for ink pens. Later, his wife introduced him to actor Nicolas Cage, who advised Depp to pursue an acting career. In 1985, Depp and Allison divorced. After his marriage ended, Depp dated and was engaged to Sherilyn Fenn (whom he met on the set of the 1985 short film Dummies).

1990s and 2000s
In 1994, Depp was arrested and questioned by police for allegedly causing serious damage to a New York City hotel suite. He was arrested again in 1999 for brawling with paparazzi outside a restaurant while dining in London with his girlfriend, Vanessa Paradis. Since 1998, Depp has had a relationship with Vanessa Paradis, a French actress and singer whom he met while filming The Ninth Gate. The couple have two children. Daughter Lily-Rose Melody Depp was born May 27, 1999. Son John "Jack" Christopher Depp III was born April 9, 2002. In 2007, his daughter recovered from a serious illness, an E. coli infection that began to cause her kidneys to shut down and resulted in an extended hospital stay. However, earlier sources reported that she had blood poisoning due to stepping on a rusty tack.

Although Depp has not remarried, he has stated that having children has given him "real foundation, a real strong place to stand in life, in work, in everything." "You can't plan the kind of deep love that results in children. Fatherhood was not a conscious decision. It was part of the wonderful ride I was on. It was destiny; kismet. All the math finally worked." The family divides its time between their home in Meudon, located in the suburbs of Paris, Los Angeles, and their villa in Plan-de-la-Tour, a small town an hour and a half from Saint-Tropez, in the south of France. Depp also acquired a vineyard estate in the Plan-de-la-Tour area in 2007.

Depp has 13 tattoos, many of them signifying important persons or events in his life, including an American Indian in profile and a ribbon reading "Wino Forever" (originally "Winona Forever", altered after his breakup with Winona Ryder) on his right biceps, "Lily-Rose" (his daughter's name) over his heart, "Betty Sue" (his mother's name) on his left biceps, and a sparrow flying over water with the word "Jack" (his son's name; the sparrow is flying towards him rather than away from him as it is in Pirates of the Caribbean) on his right forearm.

In 2003, Depp was quoted as criticizing the United States in Germany's Stern magazine, commenting that "America is dumb, is something like a dumb puppy that has big teeth — that can bite and hurt you, aggressive." Although he later asserted that the magazine misquoted him and the quotation was taken out of context, Stern stood by its story, as did CNN.com in its coverage of the interview. CNN added his remark that he would like his children "to see America as a toy, a broken toy. Investigate it a little, check it out, get this feeling and then get out." The July 17, 2006 edition of Newsweek reprinted the "dumb puppy" quotation, verbatim, within the context of a Letter to the Magazine. Depp has also disagreed with subsequent media reports that he says paint him as a "European wannabe" who enjoys the "simpler" life and anonymity that living in France provides.

One of Depp's closest friends is director Tim Burton, with whom he has worked six times. He has referred to working with Burton as "coming home", and he wrote the introduction to Burton on Burton, a book of interviews with the director, in which he called Burton "...a brother, a friend,...and [a] brave soul".

Television
Depp starred in a lead role on the FOX TV television series, 21 Jump Street, which premiered in 1987. Depp accepted this role because he wasn't getting much work in the business and wanted to work with actor Frederic Forrest, who inspired him. Later in the season, Depp's long time friend Sal Jenco joined the cast as a semi-co-star as the janitor named Blowfish. The series' success turned Depp into a popular teen idol during the late 1980s. He found the teen-idol status an irritant, noting that he felt "forced into the role of product" and that it was "a very uncomfortable situation and I didn't get a handle on it and it wasn't on my terms at all." Depp promised himself that after his contract on the series expired, he would only appear in films that he felt were right for him.

Film roles
Depp's first major role was in the 1984 horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street, playing the heroine's boyfriend and one of Freddy's victims. In 1986, he also appeared in a secondary role as a Vietnamese-speaking private in Oliver Stone's Platoon. Depp then left his teen idol image in 1990, playing the quirky title role in the Tim Burton film, Edward Scissorhands. The film's success began a long association with Burton. Depp, an avid fan and long-time friend of writer Hunter S. Thompson, played a version of Thompson (named Raoul Duke) in 1998's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, based on the writer's pseudobiographical novel of the same name. Depp also accompanied Thompson as his road manager on one of the author's last book tours. In 2006, Depp contributed a personal foreword to Gonzo by Hunter S. Thompson, a posthumous visual biography of the writer's legacy published by ammobooks.com. A close friend of Thompson's, Depp paid for most of Thompson's memorial event, complete with fireworks and the shooting of Thompson's ashes by a cannon, in Aspen, Colorado, where Thompson lived.

Depp's film characters have been described by the press as "iconic loners," and Depp has noted that this period of his career was full of "studio defined failures" and films that were "box office poison," stating that he believes film studios never "understood" the films he appeared in and did not know how to market them properly. Depp has also said that he specifically chose to appear in films that he found personally interesting, rather than those he thought would succeed at the box office.

Depp's status as a major star was solidified with the success of the 2003 Walt Disney Pictures film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, for which his lead performance as the suave pirate Captain Jack Sparrow was highly praised. The performance was initially received negatively by the studio bosses who saw the film, but the character became popular with the movie-going public; in 2006, Depp's co-star from the sequel to Pirates of the Caribbean, Bill Nighy, described the role as probably being "one of the most popular performances of recent times." According to a survey taken by Fandango, Depp was also considered to be one of the main reasons audiences wanted to see the movie. The film's director, Gore Verbinski, has said that Depp's Jack Sparrow character closely resembles Depp's own personality, although Depp himself said that he modelled the character after Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards. Depp, who has noted that he was "surprised" and "touched" at the positive reception given to the film, was nominated for an Academy Award for the role. In 2004, he was again nominated for a Best Actor Oscar, this time for playing Scottish author J. M. Barrie in the film Finding Neverland. Depp next starred as Willy Wonka in the 2005 film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which was a major success at the box office.

Depp returned to the character of Jack Sparrow for the sequel Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, which opened on July 7, 2006 and grossed $135.5 million in the first three days of its U.S. release, breaking a box office record in reaching the highest weekend tally ever. The next sequel to Pirates of the Caribbean, At World's End, was released May 24, 2007; Depp has mentioned his attachment to his Captain Jack Sparrow character, specifying that Sparrow is "definitely a big part of me", and expressing his desire to portray the character in further sequels. Depp voiced Sparrow in the video game, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow.

Depp and Gore Verbinski are executive producers of the album Rogues Gallery, Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs and Chanteys. Depp played the title role of Sweeney Todd in Tim Burton's film adaptation of the musical Sweeney Todd, for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. The traditional ceremony for the 65th Golden Globe Awards did not take place due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike. Depp thanked the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and praised Tim Burton for his "unwavering trust and support."

As a child, Depp was obsessed with Dark Shadows a gothic-themed soap opera that aired on ABC from 1966 to 1971. As a result, he accepted Warner Brothers proposal to make a film version of the show. In July 2007, a rights deal was struck with the estate of Dan Curtis, the show's producer/director. Depp and Graham King will produce the movie with David Kennedy, who ran Dan Curtis Productions inc. until Curtis died in 2006. Depp will also appear in a film version of writer Hunter S. Thompson's book, The Rum Diary, portraying the main character Paul Kemp. Depp's production company has also picked up the rights to the story of poisoned former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko. Johnny also had a brief stint playing football for Currow Gaa Club. Depp signed on to play one incarnation of the Heath Ledger character in the 2009 film, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus along with Jude Law and Colin Farrell. All three actors gave their salaries from the film to Ledger's daughter, Matilda. In upcoming films, he will portray the Mad Hatter in Burton's Alice in Wonderland and Tonto in the upcoming The Lone Ranger remake. Disney Studios also announced that a fourth installment of the Pirates series is in development, in which Depp would reprise his Captain Jack Sparrow role.

As a guitar player, Depp has recorded a solo album, played slide guitar on the Oasis song "Fade In-Out" (from Be Here Now, 1997), as well as on "Fade Away (Warchild Version)" (b-side of the "Don't Go Away" single). As well, he played acoustic guitar in the movie Chocolat and on the soundtrack to Once Upon a Time in Mexico. He is a friend of The Pogues' Shane MacGowan, and performed on MacGowan's first solo album. As well, he was a member of P, a group featuring Butthole Surfers singer Gibby Haynes and Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea. He has appeared in the music videos of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' "Into the Great Wide Open."

Depp and Paradis grow grapes and have wine making facilities in their vineyard in Plan-de-la-Tour north of Saint-Tropez. Known for a fondness of French wines, among Depp's favourites are the Bordeaux wines Château Calon-Ségur, Château Cheval-Blanc and Château Pétrus, and the Burgundy wine Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. Interviewed in Madame Figaro, Depp stated, "With those wines, you reach nirvana". Along with Sean Penn, John Malkovich and Mick Hucknall, Depp co-owns the Parisian restaurant-bar Man Ray, located near the Champs-Élysées.