Last week I read a review of Sweeney Todd in Metroactive in which the writer Richard von Busack made an interesting observation on Johnny Depp’s vocals in the first musical number of the movie. Von Busack noted that it seemed Depp had modeled his vocals after Bowie, particularly on the song ‘Please Mr. Gravedigger.’ I held off making a comment about this article on here CrackedActor until I had seen the movie and read a few interviews with Depp to learn who his influences actually were. As soon as I heard the first measure of Depp’s singing in ‘No Place Like London’ I came to the exact conclusion that Von Busack did. Johnny Depp sounded so much like Bowie in ‘Please Mr. Gravedigger’ that I squeed with fangirl delight. The day after I saw the movie I sought out some interviews with Depp to see who inspired him while recording the musical numbers. He did not list Bowie as an influence (though I could clearly hear shades of Bowie), but interestingly he did list Iggy Pop. I am interested to know if anyone else heard Bowie’s influence on Depp and his vocal style in Sweeney Todd. By the way, the movie was fantastic and I recommend it to anyone with a dark sense of humor and a stomach for cartoonish gore.

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Hear that? That’s the sound of me rejoicing over Iman’s new jewelry line. In designing pieces for Global Chic, Iman drew inspiration from various bits of jewelry collected from China, Africa, India, Bali, and her own vintage engagement ring. Iman said in an interview with Vogue that a woman is never fully dressed if she does not have the proper accessories. The Home Shopping Network will launch the line on their TV channel and website on December 15.

Additionally, the Canadian Press has another great interview with Iman. Read it for some fun tips for yourself or the important women in your life.

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Music memorabilia site 991.com is selling a one-of-a-kind bit of Bowie memorabilia.  For a scant $1000 or so, a Bowie fan can buy the life mask made of Bowie’s face during The Hunger.  The mask was used to test out makeup for the movie.  I tell ya, if I had $1000 to burn I’d buy the mask myself.

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For those of you getting a jump on your holiday shopping, hop over to Chuck Hammer’s iTunes store and consider getting your loved ones some gorgeous guitar music.  Or for that matter, getting a little present for yourself.  The man behind the guitar riffs on Ashes to Ashes, Teenage Wildlife, and a few Lou Reed songs is still hard at work.  I previewed some of the songs myself and may have to add a couple albums to my own wishlist.

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Every time I turn around there is another music-related list made. VH1 has turned into the List Network and barely shows videos anymore. Rolling Stone must release a gross of lists and slap each on their cover every year. The Herald Sun is no stranger to the trend, having just released a new list of the Top Ten Rock Legends of all time. Freddie Mercury rings in at #1 with David Bowie bringing up the rear at #10. Right smack in the middle, ahead of Bowie by five spaces, is Jon Bon Jovi. (insert David E. Kelley record-scratching sound here) Ex-squeeze me? Bon Jovi is ahead of Bowie? I beg to differ. Someone must have accidentally switched those two. That’s what I’m telling myself anyway. Yeah.

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It was only a matter of time, really. With the advent of Guitar Queer-o, ahem, I mean Guitar Hero and the ability to virtually learn to play guitar riffs in popular songs, it is to be expected that David Bowie’s music would show up in a similar game. And it has. The makers of Rock Band, the new game that expands the virtual instrument-playing experience beyond the electric guitar, just released a new song pack with three Bowie songs – Moonage Daydream, Heroes, and Queen Bitch.

Kudos for the choice to include Moonage Daydream and Queen Bitch since they’re slightly less known than his hit singles, but I’m not sure how I feel about the overall idea of including Bowie’s music in a game that poorly simulates playing a musical instrument. Some may argue that it is an innovative way to expose Bowie’s music to a demographic that would not normally seek it out, but I’m ambivalent. This is not the first time that Bowie’s music has shown up in a video game. Most of the songs from “hours…” were featured in cut-scenes in Omikron: The Nomad Soul before the album was ever released. However, both Bowie and Iman had a hand in the making of that game and even lent their likenesses to in-game characters.

The Bowie song pack for Rock Band is a completely different thing. Technically, it’s not selling out since Bowie doesn’t need the money and his music has been featured in numerous commercials…but it still doesn’t sit well with me. Maybe I’m just thinking too hard about this. In any case, I think I’ll stick to learning Bowie’s music the good old-fashioned way, with my real instruments.

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