Mural of The Roots blossoms in Philly

The house band for NBC’s “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” is living large in its hometown of Philadelphia.

Members of The Roots are now depicted on a multistory mural on the back wall of a school. The group attended a dedication of the project on Friday.

The mural is called “Legendary.” It uses a colorful collage of images to trace the history of the Grammy Award-winning hip-hop group.

Roots drummer Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson says it’s difficult to believe how far the band has come since its founding in the city in 1992.

The art project was created by the city’s Mural Arts Program. There are more than 3,600 murals in Philadelphia.

Depp leaves film over salary issues

Johnny Depp has left a planned film biography of notorious Boston mobster James “Whitey” Bulger, reportedly over salary issues.

The Hollywood Reporter said Thursday that Depp, 49 – who was announced in February to star in the crime thriller by director Barry Levinson – exited after being asked to accept half his standard quote of $20 million. The trade magazine said this was part of a budget cut for the estimated $65 million to $70 million film following lower-than-expected sales of the movie internationally at the Cannes Film Festival. A production source disputed this, telling the Reporter sales were in the projected range.

UTA, the talent agency representing both the star and the director, had no comment. The film is based on Dick Lehr and Gerald O’Neill’s 2001 bestseller “Black Mass: The True Story of an Unholy Alliance Between the FBI and the Irish Mob.”

The birthday bunch

Singer Pat Boone is 79. Actor Morgan Freeman is 76. Actor Rene Auberjonois is 73. Rock musician Ronnie Wood is 66. Actor Jonathan Pryce is 66. Actress Lisa Hartman Black is 57. Actress Teri Polo is 44. Basketball player-turned-coach Tony Bennett is 44. Model-actress Heidi Klum is 40. Actress Sarah Wayne Callies is 36. Pop singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile is 32. Actor Johnny Pemberton is 32. Actress Willow Shields is 13.