Despite the rumours circulating all over the internet, the lovely Johnny Depp is not dead. He did not die in a car crash just outside Bordeaux. He is still with us. OK? Hold the commiseration emails etc., they’re not needed.
What apparently happened was that someone altered a legitimate CNN news page* to include the ‘Johnny Depp is Dead’ story, but not terribly well because the Depp story (complete with a picture of a very nasty car wreck) runs straight into the bottom half of a story about a diving expedition. I suppose they thought everyone would start wailing after a paragraph or two and not bother to read to the end. But you’d think they’d have thought to alter the date, wouldn’t you? No, it was dated March 2004. And people picked it up eagerly and passed it along.
Here’s a tip for people like Buzzy Bloggers. If you want your rumours to be taken seriously, take a crash course in literacy and journalism. Amateurish writing is a dead give-away, and conjures up a spotty fifteen-year-old sitting in front of his computer amid mouldy coffee cups, dirty dinner plates and smelly underwear.
It might be the most talked about item on the Depp blog feeds today, but it’s been well and truly refuted. I rather liked this report from ‘toptodaynews.com’:
… the person on the leading edge of the Johnny-Depp-is-still-alive confirmation was an unlikely one: Crispin Glover. Glover whipped out his cell phone and called Depp, who answered:
“Not dead, in France.â€
Nicely laconic, and reminds me of that famous Cary Grant quote.
But seriously, it must be a very uncomfortable feeling, don’t you think? Imagine opening up a web page or a newspaper and seeing your name there. Imagine reading that you’re supposed to have died in a horrific car crash.
Worse, imagine having your children read that you’re dead! I think I’d want to smack someone.
* I’m not going to link to that page and give them even more hits. If you really want to find it, it should be easy enough on a Google search.
I am so glad that JD is still hale and hearty and making your toes curl.
With regards to your link to Cary Grant. Not a lot of people know this, but the sexy adorable Cary Grant was my Dad’s cousin. His real name was Archie Leach, Leach being my maiden name. Both my brothers when young, bore a remarkable likeness to Cary. There you go, now a few more people know this!
Granny Grimble´s last blog ..THE PHONE CALL ( AT LAST ! )
Granny – I loved Cary Grant! And just two days ago I was watching my Mum open her Christmas gifts (we hadn’t been able to get down because of the snow etc) and one thing we’d got her was a boxed set of his movies. She squealed when she saw them – not bad for 89 years old, huh? Such is the power of Cary Grant! He was indeed sexy and adorable!
I knew his real name, but not that he was related to you, of course! How exciting!
Im just GLAD he’s ALIVE!!
meleah rebeccah´s last blog ..Everyone Needs A Little Evelyn!
Some people are just pathetic.
But jolly glad it’s untrue.
xx
liz´s last blog ..How many husbands could say this?
There are some strange people about – as if most of the news isn’t bad enough!!!
Kate´s last blog ..Electric Shocks!!!
Hadn’t heard or read anything about JD but glad it’s not true anyway. Cary Grant was fantastic. Such a handsome man. A x
phew! (I hadn’t heard the ‘news’ of his dead, but I’m glad he isn’t. Some people have it all. Gorgeous, sense of humour, money, not dead and in no doubt a warm and sunny France.)
carolina´s last blog ..Uncomfortable bike
Meleah – Yes, me too!!
Liz – So true, and yes, I’m jolly glad it’s untrue, too!
Kate – Aren’t there just? Good grief.
SJ Anne – Me too! And yes, Cary Grant was a very handsome man, with more charm than anyone has a right to possess. I loved his movies.
Carolina – Hahahaha! You have such a way with words, my friend. I don’t know if France is warm and sunny right now, but I’m guessing that in the south it might be!
I must live under a rock. Hadn’t heard this one but looking at the BB site, they’ve put some serious SEO keywording in there, possibly to increase their hit rate. I think George Clooney had a similar experience last year.
Baino´s last blog ..
the internet players haven’t enough to do sandy
sandy´s last blog ..another fortunate shot and a National Geographic Shot of the Year
I hadn’t heard it either… glad I didn’t!
Anyone old enough to remember the “Paul is dead” ’scare’? That one went on for years! I have a hilarious magazine put out about Paul’s death (that’s Paul McCartney, for all you young-uns). I had pix of the ‘accident that killed him’ and had before & after pix of the real Paul and the ‘false’ Paul after the accident. One of the pix was the same on both pages, just reversed!! heehee I still have the mag – wonder if it’s worth tons of money yet!
Baino, and Sandy – Yep, the internet idiots don’t have enough to do. Wouldn’t it be easier to write something someone actually wanted to read, instead of churning out this garbage?
Jeannine – Probably! LOL!