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The Guardian reports that Johnny will make an appearance on BBC Radio 2 on 27 September in a documentary on the late James Dean:

"Johnny Depp, the star best known for his starring roles in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "Pirates of the Caribbean," is making his most unexpected career move yet--to BBC Radio 2.

The actor will briefly join the ranks of Terry Wogan and Humphrey Lyttelton when he presents a one-off documentary about movie legend James Dean." The full article can be accessed via this link.

BBC News has an alternate take on the story at this link.

Edit: At press time, it is unclear whether or not this program will be netcast. Point your browser to this link to check the schedule and listen live (requires RealPlayer).
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Updated 11:45 am EST

The Seattle Times features this article dealing with the construction of Pirates 2 and 3 ships and props, as well as speaking with Les Bolton, Grays Harbor Historical Seaport executive director and friend of KeepToTheCode.com. Grays Harbor Seaport is home to the Lady Washington, the ship seen in the first Pirates of the Caribbean film as the Interceptor. The Lady Washington's 2005-2006 tour schedule is posted on her web site.
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MiceAge.com reports today that plans for a refurbishment and rehab of Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean attraction do include adding Jack Sparrow to the popular ride. The much-rumored addition of a nighttime "Scaribbean" theme is discounted in today's update. An excerpt: "A new Johnny Depp animatronic will show up in several of the ride's most iconic scenes, even adding dialogue to the dunking of the mayor. A Barbossa [ed: corrected spelling] figure will also be added, and his morphing skeleton effect is said to be quite impressive. Many props from the movie will be added to the ride's sets, there will be newly digitized audio tracks and some modern upgrades to the circa-1967 special effects. Hopefully the positive vibes about this project leaking out of WDI mean next Spring's update to the 40-year-old attraction will not only keep the original's spirit intact, but make it fresher and more relevant to 21st century audiences."

(Ed note: Keep in mind that, once again, the rumor is just that. Plans at WDI (Disney Imagineering, the creative arm of the company) can and do change at a moment's notice.)
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© Disney
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JimHillMedia.com reports today on the tragic loss of Joe Ranft at age 45. Mr Ranft was killed in a car accident on Tuesday.

Aside from providing voices for some of Pixar's most-loved movies, Ranft worked on some of Disney's biggest films in recent years, including Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and "Toy Story." He also worked as a writer on films such as "The Lion King" and "Who Framed Roger Rabbit."

Ranft leaves behind a wife and two children. The membership, readers and staff of KeepToTheCode.com offer their sincere condolences to the family and friends of Joe Ranft in this difficult time.
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Ahoy, mateys! Set sail for An Acclamation for Kevin McNally, the official site of Pirates of the Caribbean's Joshamee Gibbs. Maintained by KeepToTheCode.com member GibbsWench, Kevin's official site contains photos, biographical information, and much more.
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PLAYLOGIC ACQUIRES AGE OF PIRATES 17-08-2005

PLAYLOGIC ACQUIRES AGE OF PIRATES

Innovative RPG title added to Playlogic line-up

Amsterdam/Leipzig, Aug. 17, 2005

Playlogic Entertainment, Inc. today announced the acquisition of "Age of Pirates," a highly anticipated role-playing game from Russian developer Akella, which also created the successful pirate titles "Sea Dogs," "Age of Sail 2," and "Pirates of the Caribbean."

Based on the next generation sea engine STORM 2.5, "Age of Pirates" provides an incredible graphic experience. The game was produced in cooperation with leading Eastern European games publisher 1C and is scheduled to be released in the fourth quarter.

The world of "Age of Pirates" exists on 16 islands and the endless seas of the Caribbean. The two main characters each have their own spectacular story. Over 16 types of ships are at the player's disposal. Features include hiring officers to improve sailing capabilities and fighters to help boarding and melee encounters. The players must also fight foreign ships, capture slaves and attack forts to conquer colonies and develop their own colonies. "Age of Pirates" embodies the freedom of sailing, trading, fighting, colonization and the unlimited exploration of the real Caribbean.

According to Stefan Layer, COO/VP of Playlogic, " "Age of Pirates" is a very innovative original IP with open-ended gameplay. I have been following the development of this project for a long time and am impressed by its quality. The title further broadens Playlogic's diverse line-up for 2005 and 2006. We are proud to present the game, playable at our booth at the Leipzig Games Convention until Sunday, Aug. 21."

"We are very excited about signing this contract with Playlogic, as I think that Playlogic is a very promising publisher that is going to become a major player in the games business very soon," said Nikolay Baryshnikov, International Sales Director of 1C Company. ""Age of Pirates" should be a great contribution to Playlogic's portfolio."

Dmitry Arkhipov, VP Development of Akella, said, "This is our third RPG pirates game. Because of the experience in development and the feedback from the numerous fans of the previous titles, we have been able to create a high-quality game that the vast pirate games community is eagerly awaiting. I am glad that Playlogic will present "Age of Pirates" to the worldwide market and am confident that it will be highly successful."

About Akella

Akella is a leading developer of entertainment PC and console software, and also publishes and distributes computer games in Russia and the CIS. The company was founded in 1993 by a group of professionals and has since achieved a stable and successful position in the Video Game Industry. In addition to creating worldwide-famous gaming projects, Akella is taking extremely important steps to grow and develop the Russian multimedia market. Akella continues to build itself as a powerful independent member of the Video Gaming Industry and aspires to be a reliable partner for Russian and international companies.

About 1C

Founded in 1991, 1C Company has become the leading Russian company publishing and distributing computer games in Russia and in the former USSR. 1C publishes games of all leading Russian independent development studios and distribute titles of international publishers such as Activision, Atari, Bethesda, Codemasters, Take 2, THQ, Ubisoft, Vivendi and others. 1C has a strong in-house game development team that created "IL-2 Sturmovik," "IL-2 Sturmovik: Forgotten Battles" and "Pacific Fighters," the award-winning WWII combat flight simulator worldwide publisher Ubisoft Entertainment. 1C has produced over 50 projects for PC and console from over 20 independent development studios. Additional information about the company can be found at http://int.games.1c.ru.

source: PlayLogic press release.
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Buena Vista Games (BVG), the global interactive entertainment arm of The Walt Disney Company, today announced that the highly anticipated game The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, inspired by the upcoming film from Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media, will be console exclusive to PlayStation 2 throughout PAL territories until 31 March 2006. The PS2 exclusivity does not affect PC or handheld releases in Europe, or the full line-up of games to be released in North America. The PAL PS2, PC and handheld titles will ship to retail in November, 2005.

Read the full release here.
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Financial reports from Disney's US and international divisions have been posted for investors to examine. If you hold shares in Disney (US), EuroDisney SCA (Europe) or Oriental Land Company (Tokyo Disneyland's parent company), one or all of the following reports may be of interest to you.

Click here for Disney's US quarterly financials.

Click here for EuroDisney SCA's report.

Oriental Land Company (Tokyo Disneyland) financials are here.
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Updated 2:40 pm EST:

The Freeport News, "The Grand Bahama's First Newspaper," features an article on POTC2 and 3 and the benefits filming will bring to the economy. The article states that filming is expected to bring US $20-$25 million to the local economy, in addition to the long-term benefit to the area as a result of the Collyer tank, the massive water tank built for the POTC sequels. The permanent tank will be used in future productions once POTC wraps shooting.
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Paul Cayard to skipper The Black Pearl

Paul Cayard is set to return to one of the toughest and most gruelling competitions in sailing. It also happens to be one of his favourites.

It's the Volvo Ocean Race, the round-the-world race, which he won as the first US skipper in history in 1997-98. "It was the most exciting race of my life, one that has left an indelible mark on my professional career and provided me with the most on a human level. That's why I decided to do it again", says Cayard, on the verge of a great sea and shore adventure.

The entry is part of a unique marketing alliance between The Walt Disney Company and Volvo Ocean Race supporting the July 2006 feature film release of Walt Disney Pictures'/Jerry Bruckheimer Films' Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. "Disney's involvement in the project has been another determining factor," Cayard continues. "It's an enormous opportunity to introduce the general public to sailing and to the Volvo Ocean Race. I simply couldn't say "no" to a proposal of this scope."

The Black Pearl, the Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest boat, is designed by Farr Yacht Design and is currently under construction at Green Marine in the UK. The launch of the boat is scheduled for the end of August.

source: VolvoOceanRace.org
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Reggie Lee Lays Claim to Supporting Lead in "Pirates of the Caribbean 3"

Reggie Lee ("The Fast & The Furious") joins an all-star cast as villain pirate Tai Huang. Lee will star opposite Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley, Orlando Bloom and Chow Yun Fat in the third installment of the popular Disney film.

(PRWEB)

Aug. 1, 2005 -- Reggie Lee ("The Fast and The Furious") has landed a supporting lead in the third installment of Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean" directed by Gore Verbinski and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. Lee stars opposite Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, and Chow Yun Fat as a villainous Pirate named Tai Huang. Lee filmed some initial scenes with Depp in April while both sequels were filming concurrently on St. Vincent in the Caribbean. He resumes filming in late August in Los Angeles and the Bahamas through 2006. "Pirates of the Caribbean 3" is due in theatres in 2007.

Lee's character is involved in several of the film's stunt sequences for which he will undergo 'pirate training' in preparation. He looks forward to the physical demands of the role, which will be no problem for the avid athlete.

Reggie Lee is represented by David Shapira and Associates and managed by Ricki Maslar for RGM Entertainment. Lee recently wrapped filming the lead in the horror film "Dimples" (written by Dusty DePree and Ron Johnson and directed by DePree) due in theaters in Fall 2006.

Since his breakout role in the blockbuster "The Fast and the Furious," Reggie Lee has appeared in several films including "Masked and Anonymous," "Frankenfish," and the upcoming feature "X.C.U. (Extreme Close-Up.)" He had recurring roles on television as Dr. Oliver Lee on CBS' "Judging Amy" and rookie cop Jim Chang on Lifetime's "The Division," starred in the Fox series "Luis" with Luis Guzman, and has guest-starred on over twenty-five television shows including "ER," "Strong Medicine," "Mad About You," "Ellen Again," "Babylon 5," "Walker Texas Ranger," "Beverly Hills 90210," "Party of Five" and provided the voice for a lead character in ABC's "The Magic Pearl" (the first all-Asian animation for television).

Visit Reggie Lee's site (www.reggie-lee.com) by clicking here.
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