Johnny Depp is the subject of Wednesday night’s edition of BIOGRAPHY on A&E. The program airs at 10 pm Eastern, 9 pm Central time. (Watch for repeats in the wee hours of Thursday morning as well.) The Emmy-winning series offers stylish hours which usually include interview segments with the subject’s friends and colleagues, as well as an account of the subject’s personal and professional life. Expect to see plenty of stills and brief clips but no new intervew with Johnny; the overall tone is generally upbeat and less tabloidish that E!s TRUE HOLLYWOOD STORY. BIOGRAPHY describes Johnny this way: “Eccentric, sensual, bold and uncompromising, he is a master of reinvention, consistently surprising audiences with his film choices and offbeat character portrayals.” I would quibble with the word “reinvention,” however, which suggests the conscious adoption of a persona. True, Johnny does not choose to repeat the same kind of character over and over again, as most movie stars do, but that does not mean that he is “reinventing himself” each time he attempts a new role. He is simply revealing more aspects of his talent. His versatility is part of his genius: that he can be all these men so convincingly has always been what sets him apart from other actors.

Thanks to faithfully and ScratchtheDragon for news about the Biography special. DeepinDepp reports that A&E is selling DVD and VHS copies of the 50-minute program for $24.95, but they are Region 1 only and ship only to the U.S. and Canada. Expect a delivery time of three to six weeks because the program is brand new–but it still could be under your tree for Christmas.