Shock Rocker Alice Cooper Joins Johnny Depp in 'Dark Shadows'

Shock rocker Alice Cooper will have a cameo in Tim Burton's upcoming big-screen adaptation of "Dark Shadows." The singer reported via his website that he will be playing himself at a masquerade ball Johnny Depp's vampire character Barnabas Collins is hosting. Cooper will be performing the song "No More Mr. Nice Guy" as a younger version of himself for a crowd of partygoers.

Depp was seen onstage earlier this year playing guitar with Cooper's band for two songs. He accompanied the singer and his group for the songs "I'm Eighteen" and "School's Out," thrilling an unsuspecting audience. The rumors about his possible appearance in "Dark Shadows" began to circulate immediately -- and seem to have been true.

It makes perfect sense that Cooper would be seen at a lavish party in "Dark Shadows." The movie takes place in the 1970s, when the performer's popularity was at its highest. Cooper was and is still known for his darkly theatrical stage show and horror makeup that he mixed with the loud sounds of early heavy metal rock. He would have fit in perfectly at a masquerade ball for a bloodsucking creature of the night.

"Dark Shadows" is based on the late 1960s supernatural daytime soap opera that mixed family drama with witchcraft, curses, werewolves, ghosts, and vampires. The show even threw in a little time-travel for extra measure. It didn't start out so radical.

At first "Dark Shadows" was just a drama that told the tale of a family of conniving relatives who lived in an old gothic mansion. It also centered on a young woman who comes to care for the family's young son and uncover the secrets of her mysterious past in the strange town of Collinsport, Maine. When ratings for the show plummeted, writers decided to add ghosts to the mix and it immediately took off. A few months after that, they decided to make the bold move of adding a vampire; the show rocketed even further in popularity.

Cooper is no stranger to the world of acting. He has made appearances in several horror films, including "Suck," "Prince of Darkness," and "Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare." He had the honor of playing Freddy Krueger's father in the latter film. He also had his own TV movie/musical titled "Alice Cooper: The Nightmare" that featured him performing opposite Vincent Price. The movie came out in 1975 and won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Video Tape Editing for a Special. Cooper most recently voiced a character for Nickelodeon's "SpongeBob SquarePants" show.

Tim Burton directed "Dark Shadows" from a script by Seth Grahame-Smith ("Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter"). The movie stars Johnny Depp, Eva Green, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jackie Earle Haley, and Christopher Lee. It's scheduled to be released on May 11, 2012, through Warner Bros. Pictures.

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