People talk 6/30/03

Depp, fellow 'Pirates' raid Disney for premiere

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Johnny Depp joined about 1,500 guests at Disneyland for the premiere of his new action adventure film "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl."

"This is surreal," Depp said as he arrived Saturday to the screams of fans. He was joined by producer Jerry Bruckheimer and co-stars Orlando Bloom, Geoffrey Rush and Keira Knightly.

The movie is named after Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean water ride and the premiere was the first ever held at the theme park.

The movie opens nationwide July 9.

Snoop Dogg's team wins charity basketball game

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Rapper Snoop Dogg's charity basketball game at his former high school brought back guilty memories for fellow hip hop artist Nate Dogg.

"Me and Snoop used to skip class right where we're standing at," Nate Dogg said Saturday at the Poly High School gymnasium.

Rapper-producers Warren G, Soopafly and a crew of other singers, actors and comedians joined professional basketball players like Washington Wizards' Bryon Russell and Juaquin Hawkins of the Houston Rockets at the game. Snoop's team won 124-114.

Proceeds from ticket sales went to Snoop Dogg's Save a Life Foundation and the high school. Tickets were $10.

"I just always like to come back and let them know where I came from," said the rapper, whose real name is Calvin Broadus. "I walked through these same streets, I went to the same school."

Trip to Moscow doesn't throw Steven Seagal

MOSCOW -- Judo enthusiast Vladimir Putin didn't try out any moves on action star Steven Seagal when he spoke to actors taking part in the Moscow International Film Festival.

The Russian president welcomed Seagal, Italian actress Gina Lollobrigida and Fanny Ardant of France, to his country residence outside Moscow on Sunday.

Putin thanked the stars for coming to the festival and said he hoped they would return to Russia -- and not be discouraged by this year's relatively cool summer.

Prince Harry captains polo team against French

LONDON -- England's school polo team, led by 18-year-old Prince Harry, lost to France in its first match on Sunday, but the captain scored a goal.

The red-haired prince tumbled from his pony when the animal reared in the first minute of play at the National Schools Polo Tournament in Southam, Warwickshire. Harry mounted another pony and scored a goal in the first quarter.

But the French began to dominate the field and won with a score of four and a half points to England's three.

Prince Charles, an avid polo player, watched his younger son's debut as captain.

John Lloyd, of the Schools and Universities Polo Association, which organized the tournament, said that although the fall caused no injuries, "I think Prince Harry might have been a bit unsettled" by it.

"To lose a game when you are making your debut as captain cannot be much fun. Still, he was very resilient," Lloyd said.-- From wire reports

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BERLIN -- Luciano Pavarotti returned to the stage with a performance as Mario Cavaradossi in Puccini's "Tosca" at the Deutsche Oper.

The tenor's one-off appearance on Saturday evening "went very well, and was warmly applauded" by a sellout audience, said Dolly Hauns, an official at the opera house.

The 67-year-old tenor was making his first opera appearance since singing the same role at London's Royal Opera, Covent Garden, in January 2002.

He caused a stir in May when he canceled two "Tosca" performances at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, blaming the flu. He has since added three dates at the Met in March next year.

-- From wire reports