Johnny Depp hires event planner for friend’s funeral

Aspen, Colo. – Friends and family of gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson are preparing to pepper the sky with the late writer’s ashes.

His cremated remains will be shot into the air Aug. 20 from a cannon installed on a 150-foot-high tower behind his home in Woody Creek. The 67-year-old Thompson, who had been in failing health, shot himself at his home on Feb. 20 after a long and flamboyant career.

Johnny Depp, a close friend of Thompson’s, has hired a Beverly Hills, Calif., events planner to oversee the event, which will be closed to the public.

“Hunter meant a lot to me. He was another hero and someone that I got to know very well because I played him in ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.’ We got very, very close,” Depp said in a recent interview with AP Television News.

“He was a great pal, one of my best friends. We had talked a couple of times about his last wishes to be shot out of a cannon of his own design. … All I’m doing is trying to make sure his last wish comes true.

Anita Thompson, the writer’s widow, said a public service will be held later.

Actors admit their Goofy tendencies

New York – John Stamos, Kelsey Grammer and Jim Belushi are goofy for Goofy, while David Arquette, Peyton Manning and Terry Bradshaw are daffy about Donald Duck, according to a recent Disney survey.

In a poll of 45 actors, musicians and athletes, 20 percent most identified with the Disney animated character Goofy. Non-celebrities agreed, with 15 percent of 8,000 consumer respondents also selecting Mickey Mouse’s best friend as the character they relate to the most.

Oprah Winfrey topped the list of the most desired Disney celebrity travel companion, at 16 percent. Clint Eastwood placed second with 11 percent, and Julie Andrews was third, with 8 percent.

Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts hired independent research firm Directive Analytics to conduct the “Golden Ears” survey in honor of Disneyland’s 50th anniversary July 17.

Plea agreement reached in case involving Letterman

Conrad, Mont. – Prosecutors on Monday reached a plea deal with the man accused of plotting to abduct David Letterman’s young son, allowing him to plead guilty to lesser charges and dropping a kidnapping-related charge in return.

Kelly Frank pleaded guilty in state District Court to felony theft, misdemeanor obstruction and possessing illegally killed wildlife, a felony. In exchange, Teton County Attorney Joe Coble dropped a felony charge of solicitation, which accused Frank of plotting to kidnap the talk show host’s son from Letterman’s ranch.

Frank, who had worked on the ranch near Choteau in northwestern Montana, was arrested in March after an acquaintance told authorities that Frank had talked of a plan to kidnap Letterman’s then 16-month-old son, Harry Joseph, and the boy’s nanny.

Celebrity couple noshows at community baby shower

Charleston, W.Va. – Jennifer Garner’s hometown threw a baby shower for the mom-to-be and husband Ben Affleck – but the gifts went to charity.

Although Garner and Affleck didn’t attend, hundreds of gift-bearing fans came to a West Virginia Power minor league baseball game Saturday for “Jen and Ben Baby Shower Night.”

Admission was free for those who donated a gift and for fans named Jennifer.

The promotion benefited the baby pantry for Starting Points, a nonprofit group serving children and the families of children under age 8.

Among the 410 donations were a car seat, diapers and baby food, said Power account executive Matt Thompson.

Garner, 33, star of the TV series “Alias,” and Affleck, 32, tied the knot last month at the Parrot Cay resort in the Caribbean islands of Turks and Caicos.

Actress will think twice about sharing political views

New York – Maggie Gyllenhaal says she has learned the hard way not to talk about politics on the red carpet.

The 27-year-old actress, who stars in a film about the 2001 terror attacks on the World Trade Center, said in an interview in April that the United States “is responsible in some way” for the attacks.

She later issued a statement through her publicist saying that Sept. 11 was “an occasion to be brave enough to ask some serious questions about America’s role in the world.”

“I was so surprised by the way it was misunderstood, and the disdain that came back at me was a real shock,” Gyllenhaal told the Daily News in an interview published Sunday. “I regret what I said, but I think my intentions were good.”

Gyllenhaal, who lives in New York, told the newspaper the backlash had taught her “that neither the red carpet nor an interview about a movie is the right place to talk about my politics. I realize I have to be careful, because it’s very easy to misunderstand a complicated thought in a complicated world.”

She stars in “The Great New Wonderful,” which features stories about people living in New York in the aftermath of the terror attacks. The movie was shown at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival.