You can buy Johnny's DVDs new and used at Amazon.com for Johnny November 2007
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From the Sunday Mirror
Rum sales up thanks to Depp
EXCLUSIVE Sales rocketing thanks to Depp
By Stephen Hayward Consumer Correspondent 02/12/2007Well, shiver me timbers! Sales of rum are rocketing - because of the huge success of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.
Johnny Depp's portrayal of loveable rogue Captain Jack Sparrow has helped demand for golden rum leap 31 per cent.
The boom has been driven by the growing popularity of pirate-themed fancy dress parties and a craze for rum cocktails such as mojito, pina colada and mai tai.
Tesco rum buyer Katherine Abram said: "Demand for rum is at its highest since the Sixties, when everyone was drinking Cuba Libres.
"There's no doubt Pirates of the Caribbean has helped. The swash-buckling theatricality of the films has inspired people to hold pirate parties with rum punch the order of the night."
Party-loving princes William and Harry have joined in the craze. Their favourite cocktail - a rum, brandy, peach liqueur and champagne mix called Treasure Chest - is served for £100 at trendy London nightspot Mahiki.
Golden rum, which mixes best in cocktails, has seen the sharpest rise in sales, up 65 per cent year-on-year at Tesco.
From the Hollywood InsiderThe 50 Smartest People in Hollywood
Nov 28, 2007, 04:00 PM | by Sean SmithJudd_l Power Lists are so over. Magazines, including EW, have done them for decades, but as way of digging deep into Hollywood's DNA, "power" has become sort of beside the point. "Power" just tells you who's in charge. It doesn't tell you who's shaking things up. So EW decided to go in search of the people who are rocking the industry's world this year, the people with ideas – innovative, creative, dangerous, renegade ideas – who are changing the way movies are made. We went looking for the 50 Smartest People in Hollywood.
Below are the results of three months of constant research, hundreds of hours of conversations with the brightest minds in the industry, and weeks of heated debate. We started with a list of more than 300 contenders, and it proved surprisingly hard to chop them down to a trim 50. We had to establish strict criteria to determine who would – and who would not – make the cut. Here were our rules:
1) Every person on the list had to be smart not just in general, but smart right now. They had to be leading the industry forward in some way, today.
2) The list would be about the movie business only. (We'll do a Smartest People in TV list, too, next year).
3) The list would represent a broad range of intelligence in the movie business – not just the suits and the stars, but the composers and the costume designers, too.
4) "Smart" could mean many things. It encompasses books smarts and street smarts, financial genius and emotional intelligence. We weren't interested in IQ. What mattered was the originality of each person's thinking and the reach of their ideas beyond the borders of their own careers.
5) At 50 names, the list could not possibly include every smart person in Hollywood. Each person on this list needed to help paint a portrait of where movies are today and where they're headed. Each person on this list tells a different story about the movie business today. They are all smart, certainly, but they also symbolize, collectively, Hollywood now.
6) We ranked them first, and primarily, by their overall impact on the industry this year, and then factored in the influence of each person within their own profession. It allows for a diverse and surprising list, where a cinematographer (Emmanuel Lubezki) can take the #24 slot, while an Oscar winning director (Michael Moore) can come in below him at #27. It will also give you, we're sure, plenty to argue with us about.We hope you're happy to see a few familiar faces rewarded on this list and are intrigued by the people you've never heard of. You'll find the complete package – with #5 entry Will Smith on the cover – on newsstands this week and, of course, here on EW.com, along with a quiz to test your Hollywood IQ. (Yes, you'll be graded, but we won't tell anyone your score.) Feel free to tell us how brilliant or idiotic our choices on the comments section below. And make sure to tell us who you'd nominate as one of the 50 Smartest People in Hollywood. We'll take it under advisement.
The list after the jump...
Entertainment Weekly's 50 Smartest People in Hollywood:
1. Judd Apatow, director/writer/producer
2. Steven Spielberg, director/producer
3. James Cameron, director/producer
4. Ari Emanuel, partner of the Endeavor Agency
5. Will Smith, actor/producer
6. Meryl Streep, actor
7. Peter Rice, president of Fox Searchlight
8. Tyler Perry, actor/director/writer/producer
9. David Heyman, producer
10. John Knoll, visual-effects supervisor of Industrial Light & Magic
11. Brian Grazer, producer
12. Dick Cook, chairman of the Walt Disney Studios
13. George Clooney, actor/director/producer
14. Jerry Bruckheimer, producer
15. Amy Pascal, co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment
16. Peter Jackson, director/producer
17. Will Ferrell, actor/producer
18. Robert Zemeckis, director
19. Tom Rothman, co-chair of Fox Filmed Entertainment
20. Ben Stiller, actor/director/producer
21. Johnny Depp, actor/producer
22. Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO of DreamWorks Animation
23. Brad Bird, writer/director
24. Emmanuel Lubezki, cinematographer
25. Zack Snyder, director26. Stacey Snider, CEO of DreamWorks SKG
27. Michael Moore, documentarian
28. Paul Greengrass, director
29. J.J. Abrams, producer/director
30. Jodie Foster, actor/director
31. Kathleen Kennedy, producer
32. Thelma Schoonmaker, editor
33. Angelina Jolie, actor
34. Sacha Baron Cohen, actor/writer/producer
35. Tim Palen, co-president of film marketing for Lionsgate
36. Modi Wiczyk, co-CEO of Media Rights Capital
37. Guillermo del Toro, writer/producer/director
38. Diablo Cody, screenwriter
39. Mary Zophres, costume designer
40. Jeff Skoll, founder of Participant Productions
41. Stefan Sonnenfeld, president of Company 3
42. Daniel Battsek, president of Miramax Films
43. Beth Swofford, agent at CAA
44. Roderick Jaynes, editor
45. Cate Blanchett, actor
46. Jeff Walker, Comic-Con impresario
47. Amy Powell, senior vice president of interactive marketing at Paramount
48. Gustavo Santaolalla, composer
49. Sarah Polley, actor/writer/director
50. Ben Affleck, actor/director/writer/produce
From Contact Music
JOHNNY DEPP - DEPP AMUSED BY GORE SCENESHollywood actor JOHNNY DEPP enjoyed shooting gory scenes for his new movie SWEENY TODD - because he loved getting drenched in fake blood. The Pirates of the Caribbean star, 44, found it hilarious watching the film crew being hit by the red corn syrup mixture used in violent scenes. He says, "Everyone except me was covered in plastic. It was a bizarre sight. There'd be a countdown - three - two - one... action. Then blammo (sic), a deluge of what looked like blood! It tasted kind of syrupy. It was also oily so it got pretty slippery."
30/11/2007 19:33
From Gossip Girls
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Johnny Depp and Tim Burton Take to Cipriani
London is fast becoming the little brother to Los Angeles when it comes to paparazzi activity. And last night the shutterbugs grabbed some pics of Johnny Depp dining out with Tim Burton and wife Helena Bonham Carter at the Cipriani restaurant.The “Nightmare Before Christmas” director and his “Fight Club” wife were both dressed in black ensembles, with Helena wearing a pink garment over top her black dress. She’s pregnant with Tim’s second child, due next month.
(many more photos of Johnny HERE)
From AZCentral
Johnny Depp almost quit Hollywood
BANG Showbiz
Nov. 29, 2007 09:08 AM
Johnny Depp considered quitting Hollywood when his daughter fell ill.The actor, whose eight-year-old daughter Lily-Rose was hospitalized after reportedly contracting the E.coli bacterial infection earlier this year, insists nothing matters more to him than his family.
Johnny, who also has a five-year-old son Jack John with long-term partner Vanessa Paradis, said, "I wasn't sure if I would be able to come back. My kids and my girl - nothing else matters in life. My kids are very grounded, not monster-like at all. We keep discipline under control.
"When I was younger I used to play a lot of practical jokes and I (expletive) my mother off. But the greatest advice I ever got was from her, 'Don't take (expletive) from anybody. Ever.' And that has stuck with me and I hope my kids never, ever have to take (expletive) off anybody either."
Johnny, who postponed filming new musical 'Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street' when Lily-Rose was ill, also revealed he was nervous about his singing scenes in the movie.
He is quoted as saying, "I think I was probably more frightened than anyone. I've never even tried karaoke. It scares the hell out of me. I've never been that drunk - and I've been drunk. I didn't know if I could sing. I did these demos in my friend's garage studio because I didn't know if I could hit a note and to be honest I really didn't. I tried to use Iggy Pop as my inspiration.
"Someone is probably weeping after watching my performance."
From The Caps Wench at Johnny Depp Admierers:
Johnny and Tim will do an interview tonight on ET.
For those that will not be able to see it, here's the link to the online site with the interview....
http://www.etonline.com/news/2007/11/55984/index.htmlApparently ET will also do a review of many of Johnny's films tomorrow 11/30.
Also from Access Hollywood a very funny interview here
Official Sweeney Todd Site is up and live with music and all sorts of goodies.
From SplashNews via Scarlett & Deppography
Johnny was shopping in London with Tim Burton. Images are HERE
and from Gossip Girls
With his longtime partner Vanessa Paradis being spotted at a Holiday tree lighting ceremony in Paris yesterday, it’s only appropriate of Johnny Depp to take the free time to get in a little Christmas shopping. And that’s exactly what the Pirates of the Caribbean actor decided to do.Johnny and longtime director pal Tim Burton were spotted out on Monday shopping at London’s Forbidden Planet, which “houses the finest in movie and gaming
From TMZ
Johnny Depp & Tim Burton: Shopping Buddies
Posted Nov 27th 2007 11:23AM by TMZ Staff
Wacky and Weird, Johnny Depp
Seeing Johnny Depp and BFF director Tim Burton toy shopping is the weirdest thing the duo has done together since "Ed Wood."Depp and Burton hit up London's Forbidden Planet on Monday, picking up bags of Dr. Who and Star Wars toys. What? No, "Edward Scissorhands" dolls?!
Their upcoming film, "Sweeney Todd," marks the sixth project Johnny and Tim have worked on together. Hopefully, it won't turn out to be the nightmare before Christmas.
Found by Emma at the Cutty Shark pages
Pirates of the Caribbean exhibition in the Cutty Sark Visitor CentreOscar-winning producer Jerry Bruckheimer is staging an exhibition of photographs taken from his private collection to help raise money for the Cutty Sark Conservation Project. The exhibition will feature more than thirty pictures taken on set during the filming of the Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, which is released on DVD next week.
The exhibition opens at the Cutty Sark Visitor Centre, on Friday 23rd November, from 11.00am to 5.00pm (last admission 4.30pm) for 7 days. All proceeds go to the Cutty Sark Conservation Project.Never-before-seen images will be shown of some of Hollywood’s biggest names including Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom. Taken both on and off the set, the photos encapsulate some of the most dramatic moments and scenes from the movie and offer a rare insight into life behind the scenes on one of the most successful film trilogies of all time.
Tickets will cost £2 for adults, but children can enter free of charge (accompanied by an adult). All of the funds raised will go towards the fire appeal launched by the Cutty Sark Trust in May this year. Jerry Bruckheimer, who was visiting London with members of the cast at the time the tragedy struck in May this year, saw this project as a fitting cause given the role that Cutty Sark played in inspiring the main ship of the trilogy: the Black Pearl.
Disney is releasing a 4-CD 1-DVD set of "Pirates of the Caribbean" soundtracks and music.
The Pirates of the Caribbean Collector's Edition box set includes the following:
Disc 1: Pirates Of The Caribbean soundtrack
Disc 2: Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest soundtrack
Disc 3: Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World's End soundtrack
Disc 4: Brand new remixes
Disc 5: DVD of behind the scenes, making of the music and interviews with composer Hans ZimmerThis is reportedly already in the Disney stores, although the offical release date is December 4th.
Besides the 3 soundtrack DVDs, SavvyPeppers of Johnny Depp Reads report the extras include:1) Pirates, Day One, 4:56 a.m. (Original Hans Zimmer Theme - The Curse of the Black Pearl)
2) Marry Me (Score Suite from At World's End)
3) The Heart of Davy Jones (Score Suite from Dead Man's Chest)
4) Lord Cutler Beckett (Theme from Dead Man's Chest, Score Suite from At World's End)
5) Jack's Theme Bare Bones Demo (Hans Zimmer Piano Demo from Dead Man's Chest)
6) Hoist the Colours Suite (Score Suite from At World's End)
7) The Pirate Lord of Singapore (Score Suite from At World's End)
8) Just Good Business (Score Suite from At World's End)
9) He's a Pirate (Pete n' Red's Jolly Roger Mix)
10) He's a Pirate (Friscia & Lamboy Tribal Treasure Mix)
11) He's a Pirate (Pelo Verde Mix)
12) He's a Pirate (Chris Joss Ship Ahoy Tribal Mix)
13) Jack's Suite (Paul Oakenfold Mix)
14) Jack's Suite (The Crystal Method Mix)
15) Pirates Live Forever (Ryeland Allison Mix)The 5th disc is a DVD which contains the following tracks:
1) Making of a Score (interviews with Hans Zimmer, Gore, Jerry, & more)
2) The Man Behind the Pirates Music (in depth interview with Hans and exclusive in-studio footage of the recording sessions)
3) Hans Zimmer's Live Performance at Disneyland for the World Premiere of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
From StarPulse
11/26/07
Johnny Depp Gives Girlfriend A VineyardJohnny DeppJohnny Depp has given his long-time partner Vanessa Paradis a vineyard as congratulations for her months of hard work recording a new album.
The 44-year-old purchased the vineyard near the villa in Plan de la Tour, France, which he shares with the singer and their two children Lily-Rose, eight, and Jack, five. The actor also owns a 45-acre island in the Bahamas, where he frequently vacations.
Depp has been with the French beauty for nearly 10 years, but insists he has no plans to marry again after his two-year marriage to musician Lori Anne Allison ended in divorce in 1985.
Lots of Sweeney Todd news including tickets to advanced screenings and new behind the scenes video - click on the Sweeney Todd button above.
From the Irish Independant
(excerpt)
Where have all the silver screen bad boys gone?There are no modern-day successors to those hellraisers, with their sizzling good looks, who wreaked such havoc and yet inspired such blind hero worship, laments Sile McArdle
By Sile McArdle
Sunday November 25 2007f this was a decade earlier, Johnny Depp would be in the frame. The unconventionally sexy actor, whose production company has apparently picked up the film rights to the story of poisoned former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko, has chosen some quite bizarre roles and managed to excel in them. Plus he's never been afraid to speak his mind, even if it means offending the studio bosses.
The man with 13 tattoos has also been on the wrong side of the law several times. In 1994, Depp was questioned by police for allegedly damaging a New York hotel suite, and arrested again in 1999 for fighting with paparazzi outside a restaurant in London.
But Depp has been with his partner, French actress and singer Vanessa Paradis, since 1998. Having children, Lily-Rose Melody, 8, and five-year-old Jack, has, he says, given him "real foundation, a real strong place to stand in life, in work, in everything". So that's him off the list.
From EW
Entertainers of the Year: 25 Top Stars of 2007
Meet the extraordinary talents who shined brightest in 2007, from George Clooney to Johnny Depp to Carrie Underwood to...EW's pick for Entertainer of the Year!
(excerpt)2007'S MOST POPULAR: JOHNNY DEPP
When Johnny Depp sailed into the sunset at the end of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, the quirky heartthrob capped one of the most lucrative trilogies in movie history. Hollywood enthusiastically surrendered, handing him the lead role in Tim Burton's big-screen musical adaptation of Sweeney Todd without hearing him sing a note. Risky, dark, kooky: music to our ears. —Jeff Labreque
JOHNNY DEPP'S 2007
Jan. 9
Depp thanks voters for ''keeping me employed'' after winning three People's Choice Awards, including Favorite Male Movie Star for Dead Man's Chest.Jan. 28
Depp jams with his old band, the Kids, at the Sheila Witkin Memorial Reunion Concert in Pompano Beach, Fla., near his old stomping grounds.Feb. 5
Depp and Tim Burton begin their sixth film together as Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street goes before the cameras in London.May 25
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End sails into theaters with a $115 million opening weekend. Despite cool critical response, the third Pirates film goes on to gross $961 million worldwide.June 3
With Pirates cleaning up in theaters, Depp makes a surprise appearance at the MTV Movie Awards, accepting trophies for Best Performance and Best Movie. ''I'd like to thank [Jerry Bruckheimer] and Disney for not firing me,'' Depp says, recalling their initial reaction to his character.Oct. 29
Sixteen years after costarring in the band's ''Into the Great Wide Open'' video, Depp resurfaces in Peter Bogdanovich's four-hour rock doc, Runnin' Down a Dream: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, premiering on the Sundance Channel. Four days later, he champions another rock idol in Julien Temple's Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten, in select theaters.Dec. 21
Depp will wield the deadly blade of the wronged barber in the cinematic adaptation of Sweeney Todd when it opens nationwide.
From the Summerset County Gazzette
Depp rumours untrue
By Laura ThorpeTHERE is no truth in rumours about Hollywood heart-throb Johnny Depp moving to the area, according to his agent.
Following another upsurge in speculation that the Pirates of the Caribbean Star had brought a house in Broomfield on the Quantocks, the County Gazette got in touch with his Beverley Hills agent, Robin Baum.
When asked whether Mr Depp had purchased the £2million-plus Timbercombe House she said: "There is no truth to these reports."
No doubt this news will leave many fans disappointed, but many claim they have seen him in the area.
Last week Sue Honeyball of Manor Farm horse trekking centre and neighbour to Timbercombe House said one of her trekkers had seen him in the area.
BLOB: If you see Johnny Depp in the area, let us know at newsdesk@countygazette.co.uk or by commenting on our website - www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk
advertisement8:58pm Thursday 22nd November 2007
From eflux
Pitt drops out Universal’s “State of Play”
by Sarah Vasques 09:59, November 22nd 2007Brad Pitt has dropped out of playing in Universal’s political thriller “State of Play,” after two weeks in which he and director Kevin Macdonald had met for several times to discuss over the script.
Universal has already announced Pitt’s leaving the film which was supposed to start the production by November 15 in Los Angeles. Now the production was postponed until November 29.
“Brad Pitt has left the Universal Pictures production of `State of Play.’ We remain committed to this project and to the filmmakers, cast members, crew and others who are also involved in making the movie. We reserve all rights in this matter,” says a release issued by Universal to Variety.com. They said that the actor has violated a pay or play commitment which leaves them the possibility to sue him if the film cannot be recast in time to not lose the other actors involved in the project.
The movie telling the story of a police detective who works with a journalist in solving the mystery around the death of a politician’s mistress, has also Edward Norton, Helen Mirren, Rachel McAdams, Jason Bateman and Robin Wright Penn among its stars.
Sources say that Universal is looking for someone to replace Pitt as quickly as possible. Otherwise, the studio risks losing other actors who might be forced to drop the film due to projects they scheduled after “Play.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Universal is looking at Johnny Depp to replace Pitt. Depp’s own movie “Shantaram” just got postponed at Warner Bros. Russell Crowe is another possible replacement for Pitt , as well as Tom Hanks whose movie “Angeles & Demons” was postponed because of the writer's strike.
Pitt dropped out over script concerns, which cannot be addressed due to the ongoing Writers Guild strike, THR reports. Matthew Michael Carnahan penned the script.
From Film Stew
The Johnny Depp Two-Step
by Richard Horgan 11/19/2007 at 5:44:25 PMRound One of the official Oscar promotion campaign for the new Tim Burton film Sweeney Todd hit the strike-choked Broadway boards last week and was a runaway PR success.
“First peaks leave people gasping and saying Depp is sure to get another Oscar nod,” relays New York Post columnist Liz Smith today. “Depp’s performance has got Oscar written all over it,” chimed Roger Friedman on Thursday, November 15th. And TheEnvelope.com’s Tom O’Neil, who has been banging this drum long before he saw a single frame, was positively giddy on Wednesday November 14th in the wake of the much heralded 17-minute New York tease, writing that the movie is “a serious contender to win the Oscar for Best Picture, just as I’ve been telling you for months.”
You can expect more of the same after Round Two is completed this weekend in London, via the official November 23rd-25th press junket for Sweeney Todd. It is being held in conjunction with the junket for The Golden Compass, a movie that is likely to come out of the proceedings not quite so golden.
But before we start anointing Depp and Burton masters of the 2007 Oscar ball, it’s worth pointing out that this combo has not exactly slayed Academy voters in the past. Their five previous collaborations have garnered three wins, none of which connect to them directly (Best Makeup and Best Supporting Actor for Ed Wood; Best Art Direction for Sleepy Hollow). Then there are the five additional nominations over the years: a couple of Best Costume Design nods (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Sleepy Hollow), another Best Makeup nomination (Edward Scissorhands), Best Cinematography (also for Scissorhands) and a Best Animated Feature kudo for The Corpse Bride.
With two Best Actor nominations in the last three years, Depp is certainly a new AMPAS favorite. But beyond suggesting that Sweeney Todd is assured of some costume, art direction and-or similar awards recognition, it’s really a leap of faith given the film’s dark tone to de facto vault it, as some are, ahead of other Best Picture contenders such as Atonement, No Country for Old Men and perhaps even Charlie Wilson’s War. It’s a crowded adapted field this year, and though Sweeney Todd’s Oscar marketing consultant Terry Press knows what she’s doing (not to mention the subliminal advantage gained from her portentous last name), it’s a little premature to start chorusing the victory dance.
According to Burton, the earliest the completed film can be screened is Thursday, November 29th. As press screenings start into the early weeks of December, we will be in the thick of Round Three. But it is Round Six that could really tip this thing in the direction of the above early prognosticators, e.g. when the Hollywood Foreign Press Association - who absolutely LOVE Depp - come out with their Comedy / Musical nominations.
From the Hollywood Reporter
Depp in play as strike delays two films
By Borys Kit
Nov 20, 2007
Johnny Depp is the latest A-lister to fall victim to the WGA strike.
The actor was scheduled to film "Shantaram" -- Warner Bros. and Initial Entertainment Group's adaptation of the Gregory David Roberts novel -- in the winter, but that project has been postponed.
Among the reasons the film has been delayed is that the script was not in the shape the filmmakers wanted; the current strike prohibits any revisions.
Budgetary concerns also were a factor. Sources said "Shantaram's" budget was heading north of $75 million, outside the studio's comfort zone for the drama set in India and Afghanistan.
The story revolves around an Australian heroin addict convicted of robbery who escapes from a maximum-security prison, flees to India and reinvents himself as a doctor in the slums of Bombay. He gets involved in counterfeiting, smuggling and gunrunning, which leads him to Afghanistan, where he and a mob boss battle the Russians. Eric Roth did the latest script rewrite.
Also put on hold for Depp is "The Rum Diary," an adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson's novel for Warner Independent Pictures. Bruce Robinson, whose 1987 comedy "Withnail & I" gained a cult following, was adapting and directing.
"Rum," loosely based on Thompson's experience working as a freelance journalist in Puerto Rico in the late 1950s, is in the development stages. Depp had planned on making the film after "Shantaram."
The latest developments assure that Depp's inbox will be full during the coming weeks. He'll be doing "Sweeney Todd" press junkets in advance of the Dec. 3 premiere in New York.
From Variety
'Shantaram' latest strike casualty
By MICHAEL FLEMING, MICHAEL FLEMING, ANNE THOMPSONThe writers strike claimed another casualty Monday as Warner Bros. called off a February production start on "Shantaram," the Mira Nair-directed adaptation of the Gregory David Roberts novel that was to star Johnny Depp.
Depp, who is producing the film with Graham King, hoped to spend the winter playing an Australian heroin addict who escapes a maximum-security prison, reinvents himself as a doctor in the slums of India and eventually uses gun-running and counterfeiting skills to fight against the invading Russian troops in Afghanistan. Abhishek Bachchan was also set to star.
Though Eric Roth was rewriting right up to the start of the writers strike in an attempt to bring down the pic's pricetag, insiders attributed the postponement partly to script considerations, but also to other factors, such as the onset of monsoon season in India, and a snag over how much time Depp would spend shooting there versus New Mexico, where part of the film will be shot.
"Shantaram" follows the Ron Howard-directed Tom Hanks starrer "Angels & Demons" and the Oliver Stone-directed Bruce Willis starrer "Pinkville" as high-profile films whose imminent production starts were postponed because their sponsoring studios decided they couldn't overcome logistical or script problems that are exacerbated by the Writers Guild of America strike and looming expirations of the Directors Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild contracts next June.
Several other films were rumored to be on the bubble.
WB, Nair, King and Depp plan to make "Shantaram" as soon as they can, sources said.
Pic has been a top studio priority since Depp's zeal prompted WB to pay $2 million for the book. The project has survived several bumps on the development road, including the exit of director Peter Weir because his vision didn't match that of Depp and King.
"Inside the Actors Studio" With Johnny Depp is being shpped by Amazon.com now!THE DVD
From Chud
YOU CAN GO TO THE SITE AND ENTER THE CONTEST
1 WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE HIT OF 2007 WASHES ASHORE ON DISNEY DVD ON DECEMBER 4PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD’S END
The 2-disc DVD and 75GB Blu-ray 2-disc® come packed with an array of bonus material including bloopers and exclusive BD-Java enhanced features for the high-definition release!
CHUD has three copies of the 2-disc DVD to give away.
Summary Just when he’s needed most, Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), that witty and wily charmer of a pirate, is trapped on a sea of sand in Davy Jones’ Locker. In an increasingly shaky alliance, Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) and Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) begin a desperate quest to find and rescue him. Captain Jack’s the last of the nine Pirate Lords of the Brethren Court who must come together united in one last stand to preserve the freedom-loving pirates’ way of life. From exotic Singapore, to World’s End and beyond, from Shipwreck Island, to a titanic battle, this adventure’s filled with over-the-edge action, irreverent humor and seafaring myth and magic. Everything has led to this twisting, turning, wild swashbuckling ride in this final chapter of the Pirates Of The Caribbean trilogy.
Special Features
DISC 1
* Feature Film Presentation
* Bloopers of the Caribbean – hilarious outtakes of cast and crewDISC 2
* Anatomy of a Scene: The Maelstrom – a detailed breakdown of one of cinema’s most complex and impressive action set pieces.
* Keith & the Captain– A revealing look at the dynamic relationship between living legends Keith Richards and Johnny Depp.
* Tale of the Many Jacks – an in-depth look at the mind-blowing FX that went into creating multiple Captain Jacks.
* Hoist the Colours – reveals the inspiration for the “Hoist the Colours” original composition.
* Masters of Design – five individual documentaries highlighting the talented design teams behind this immense production.#1: Jim Byrkit: Sao Feng’s Map
#2: Crash McCreary: The Cursed Crew
#3: Rick Heinrichs: Singapore
#4: Penny Rose: Teague’s Costume
#5: Chris Peck: The Code Book* Inside the Brethren Court – a closer look at the legendary Pirate Lords and their costume designs, origins and unique personalities.
* The World of Chow Yun Fat – a look at the man behind devious Captain Sao Feng, international sensation Chow Yun Fat, and his meteoric rise to fame.
* The Pirate Maestro: The Music of Hans Zimmer – meet the renowned composer who created the film’s rousing score.
From Cinematical
Poll: Who's Hotter -- Sweeney Todd or Count Olaf?
Posted Nov 18th 2007 6:32PM by Kim Voynar
Filed under: Fandom, Johnny Depp, Images, Polls
So I was making my usual movie blog rounds today, and I came across this post on Hollywood Elsewhere about a 17-minute preview of Sweeney Todd Jeff Wells caught, and the first thing that struck me about the picture he had of Sweeney Todd was that Johnny Depp looks like a younger version of Jim Carrey's Count Olaf in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. Seriously ... look at the pictures.Now, I'm a Johnny Depp girl, I must confess. He's been tops on my personal "yum" list since his 21 Jump Street Days (yeah, dating myself a little there). I've loved Depp in just about everything he's been in, and he's almost always sexy, even when he dresses in one of his more, er, unusual get-ups. But this pic of him in Sweeney Todd, he looks a little scary. The first thing I thought when I saw it was, "Ewww, he looks like Jim Carrey in that Lemony Snicket movie." So I messaged Scott Weinberg, and said, "Scott! Look at this picture! Doesn't Johnny Depp look just like Jim Carrey in that Lemony Snicket movie?" And he messaged back, "Uh, no." and then changed the subject. So I messaged one of my girlfriends and asked her the same thing, and she LOL'd and said "Totally!"
What do you think? Do you think Sweeney Todd looks like a young Count Olaf? And who's sexier in their makeup, Depp or Carrey?
Please click on the link Cinematical to vote for Johnny!
Found by Emma at MovieWeb
Today I participated in a "virtual junket" with director Gore Verbinski for the release of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End on DVD. The filmmaker offered this up, regarding potential future Pirates movies.Are you planning on doing a 4th part?
Gore Verbinski: I think the trilogy is now complete. All of the stories set in motion by the first film have been resolved. If there ever were another Pirates of the Caribbean film, I would start fresh and focus on the further adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow.
Look for more from this Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End very soon.
Amazon is shipping the "Johnny Depp Photo Album" ahead of schedule for delivery by 11/26 or 11/27. Here's a link
From Screenhead
Inside the Actor’s Studio: Johnny Depp on DVD
November 14th, 2007 by Hollywood in Actors, Documentary, Dvd
Shout! Factory is scheduled to release on Nov 20 the Inside the Actor’s Studio: Johnny Depp DVD featuring one of the rare interviews ever granted by the elusive actor Johnny Depp.In this interview he brings both his fascinating eccentricity and his deep, uncompromising devotion to the craft of acting to the master’s degree candidates of the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University – and to the viewers of Inside the Actors Studio.
Johnny Depp started his career as a teenage heartthrob before moving to more challenging roles like the eccentric Edward Scissorhand and the swashbuckling Captain Jack Sparrow of the Pirates Of The Caribbean trilogy.
Lots of Sweeney Todd news, have you kept up?
From the Sommerset Country Gazette
Depp rumours rife again
By Laura ThorpeRUMOURS that Hollywood star Johnny Depp has bought a house near Taunton have been ignited again this week. Back in March the County Gazette revealed that speculation over the Pirates of the Caribbean star buying a house in the area was rife.
This week a popular women's magazine reported that Depp had definitely bought a house in Somerset amid sightings of the star in the area. The property in question is rumoured to be Timbercombe House at Broomfield on the Quantock Hills.
The country house was bought for over £2.5million, and work has been taking place at the property to build an indoor swimming pool and tennis courts. Sue Honeyball, Depp's potential neighbour, of Manor Farm horse trekking centre at Broomfield, said though she didn't really know who he was she was sure he would make a good neighbour.
From Yahoo News NZ
(excerpt)
Thursday November 15, 11:55 AM
Watch out Vanessa!
By SplashJessica Alba revealed on a US TV music show that she has a crush on Johnny Depp.
The Sin City star revealed her admiration of Depp on MTV's TRL.
She said: "I have a huge crush on him. When I saw him at the Golden Globes I made eye contact with him, and got all flustered."
She added: "Of all the men in the business, he is my favourite."
Johnny Deep is rumoured to be starring in the sequel to Sin City, but Alba, 26, says she doesn't know if that's true."
Alba said: "I don't know. I sure hope so!"
From Contact Music
JOHNNY DEPP - THE THINGS THEY SAY 6163"JOHNNY DEPP is very good looking, although I've never seen him in the flesh. I'd really like to meet him." Former WESTLIFE star BRIAN MCFADDEN reveals his secret celebrity crush.
14/11/2007 12:29
From Forbes
The Top Earning Actors Over 35
Louis Hau and Peter Hoy 11.14.07, 12:22 PM ET
Johnny Depp
Age: 44
Pay: $92 mil
The last installment of the Pirates trilogy proved almost as lucrative as the second. At World's End grossed $958 million worldwide, bringing the trilogy total to $2.7 billion. This winter, Depp stars as the bloodthirsty butcher in the film adaptation of Sweeney Todd.
Poor Brad Pitt. Pity George Clooney. Oh, woe is Nicole Kidman. It seems like yesterday when they first appeared on our collective radars, but now they're all in their 40s. Surely, their ability to generate mega-bucks must be fast approaching an end, right?
Nope. Nothing generates income in Hollywood like a proven track record. And potential stars need to rack up some miles on the career odometer before they can demonstrate the full extent of their earning power.
In Pictures: The Top-Earning Actors Over 35All of which explains why the 43-year-old Pitt, the 46-year-old Clooney and the 40-year-old Kidman aren't just among the highest earning actors over 35--they're among the highest earners among actors of any age.
"They bring box office mojo to the table, so they're compensated for that,'' says Melvin Avanzado, an entertainment attorney with the Los Angeles law firm of Jeffer Mangels Butler & Marmaro.
Consider the case of Kidman. The Academy Award winner has been a professional movie actress for nearly 25 years, during which time she's starred in a variety of box office hits, including Billy Bathgate, Moulin Rouge, Cold Mountain and others.
That impressive run enables Kidman to reportedly command more than $15 million a picture. From June 2006 to June 2007, she raked in about $28 million, making her the highest female earner in Hollywood and eighth biggest money maker among all actors over the age of 35.
What about hot new stars like Keira Knightley and Scarlett Johansson? They must be making a lot of money too, no?
They do. But those 20-something starlets can't yet hold a candle to veteran Kidman's earnings power, having pulled in $9 million and $5 million, respectively, during the same time period.
Sometimes movie stars take unpredictable paths to the summit of Hollywood money making. The best example: 44-year-old Johnny Depp, who tops Forbes' list of top-earning actors over 35. He generated $92 million during the 12 months ending June 30, more than any other single actor, regardless of age group.
Just five years ago, the idea that Depp would ultimately become Hollywood's top-earning actor would have been inconceivable, even laughable. Depp had long commanded more respect than box-office pull for his offbeat but critically acclaimed roles in films such as Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, The Astronaut's Wife and Chocolat.
Then he unexpectedly hit pay dirt in 2003 with the release of Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, the first installment in what turned out to be a massively profitable franchise for Walt Disney (nyse: DIS - news - people ) Pictures. Depp's charismatic portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow struck just the right balance between Hollywood appeal and his own inherent weirdness, transforming him into a mainstream box office star.
Once an actor has established him or herself as a bonafide star, new opportunities open up that simply aren't available to younger actors, no matter how hot they might be. For instance, Clooney and Ben Stiller have taken turns in the director's chair. They have also produced, something that Pitt, Tom Cruise, Sandra Bullock and Vince Vaughn have all done as well.
Aside from providing new ways of satisfying their artistic restlessness, these gigs open up new and potentially lucrative income streams, through both their directing and producing fees and the stake they might get in the film's profits. For instance, Bullock was an executive producer of ABC's George Lopez show, bringing her a cool $10 million through a syndication deal, despite the show being canceled in May.
Then there's two-time Best Actor Oscar winner Tom Hanks, who has used his nearly bullet-proof box office track record as a springboard into writing, producing and directing, sometimes performing all three duties in the same movie, as he did in his 1996 Twentieth Century Fox film That Thing You Do.
Enlisting top names like Hanks to participate in a movie "gets money in to finance projects,'' entertainment attorney Avanzado says. "Getting Hanks in on a project is a pretty easy way to get a movie done."
Clearly, crows feet and love handles don't have to mean commercial death in Hollywood. Besides, they've got ways of dealing with that anyway.
People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive Issue 2007
I think they got it wrong. Johnny came in sixth. Are they kidding?
JOHNNY DEPP
Why is he sexy? For starters, there's his quirky style (he lives in France, dresses like a rock star, is not afraid of a little eyeliner) and his devil-may-care spirit (didn't take a single singing lesson to prepare for his role in the upcoming musical Sweeney Todd). Most of all, there's something heart-melting about how gaga he is for his gaggle – daughter Lily-Rose, 8, and son Jack, 5, his kids with longtime girlfriend Vanessa Paradis. "Suddenly you meet your reason to live," Depp, 44, told London's Daily Mail about being a father. "They make me happy."
Film Factory has a contest to win a load of Pirates goodies.
Win the entire PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN trilogy on Bluray DVD, packed full with extras and special features!
For your chance to win a copy of the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN trilogy on Bluray DVD and a Playstation 3.They also say there are commentaries on "At World's End" by Johnny and Gore, and Geoffrey Rush here!
From MadScntst found at Northampton Chronicle
Johnny Depp, Daniel Radcliffe, Dame Helen Mirren and Kate Winslett are among the celebrities who have donated prizes to a Northampton charity.
Northampton Welfare Rights Advice Service, based in Hazelwood Road, Northampton, provides advice about state benefits to the over-60s, families, and disabled people.
This year the charity's Christmas raffle includes around 70 prizes, ranging from a signed photo of Tony Blair, a theatre programme from Dame Judi Dench and an exclusive signed photo of Johnny Depp, as well as mementos from EastEnders, Holby City and The Bill.Jeanine Wiltshire, benefits advice worker, said: "I was working for a different charity about eight years ago and had the idea of writing to Johnny Depp amongst others for items to sell for the charity. I was very pleased when he
very kindly said he'd like to help. So when he came back to England again, I was working for a different charity and wrote again and was very happy when he said he'd help that charity as well."The benefits system has become complicated beyond belief, at the same time that most departments have gone over to call centres and remote claiming. This has meant that the general public finds it harder and harder to even understand what they are entitled to receive, let alone how to claim."
The charity also has tickets for Northampton Cricket Club, the Cobblers and Milton Keynes Dons to give away in the raffle, which aims to raise awareness of Northampton Welfare Rights Advice Service.
Tickets for the raffle are 50p each or 5 for £2 and can be bought from 3-7 Hazelwood Road, Northampton. The draw is on Saturday. Information and advice from the charity is available on Northampton 636112.
Last Updated: 13 November 2007 8:35 AM
From Video Business
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End—Two-Disc Special Edition
By Ed Hulse -- Video Business, 11/12/2007
DISNEY
Street: Dec. 4
Perfectly timed for Christmas, this extras-loaded Pirates holds plenty of treasure for consumers.The third Pirates film downplays Johnny Depp (Captain Jack) and Orlando Bloom (Will) to build up Keira Knightley (Elizabeth) and the returning Geoffrey Rush (Barbossa), but the real stars are the special-effects techies, whose work the entire film seems to have been structured around. Easily a half-hour too long, At World’s End reworks themes and gimmicks from the previous two entries but sacrifices some of their exuberance. But buyers won’t feel cheated: the bonus disc bulges with entertaining featurettes that explore various aspects of the production and spotlight individual talents such as Depp, Keith Richards, Chow Yun Fat and composer Hans Zimmer. The Blu-ray edition adds a feature-length commentary by producer Jerry Bruckheimer, who also hosts an hour-long, interactive exploration of the elaborate, climactic “Maelstrom” battle sequence.
Shelf Talk: With a global box-office take approaching $1 billion, 2007’s top-grossing film doesn’t need much promotional support above and beyond what Disney is giving it; consumer awareness is already high and the timing of the DVD and Blu-ray releases is perfect for the holiday-buying season. A single-disc version is available for $29.99, but we’re thinking that fans of this effects-heavy adventure will skew toward the supplements-laden platform, which would make a more impressive gift.
Action/adventure, color, PG-13 (mild language, intense action scenes, scary creatures), 168 min., DVD $29.99, two-disc $34.99, BD $35.99
Extras: nine featurettes, bloopers
Director: Gore Verbinski
First Run: W, May 2007, $309 mil
From Bev
Check this out, Disney is releasing a box set of POTC CotBP and DMC and also a box set of the trilogy with 4 DVD's !! I bet that 4th DVD is the "Lost Disc" - and they are releasing it in the UK on Nov. 19 th - how unfair is that for us here in the USA !!http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pirates-Caribbean-Trilogy-Bill-Nighy/dp/B000VZZSJ2/ref=sr_1_4/026-4032747-4490006?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1189863248&sr=8-4
Click to see full size images
From Emma - For BAFTA consideration add from Waner Brothers
From Cinema Blend
Scoop: Pirates Of The Caribbean 4 Details
By Josh Tyler: 2007-06-20 00:24:02
Scoop: Pirates Of The Caribbean 4 Details Some franchises just don’t know when to quit. Whether or not people are getting sick and tired of the whole Pirates of the Caribbean thing, when a franchise makes that much money, it’s hard to let it die. We’ve been hearing rumblings about a possible fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movie for months now, but tonight I got an email from the old friend of the site which not only confirmed a fourth movie will almost certainly be happening, but dropped details on where the series may end up going when it continues.Our source says that Pirates of the Caribbean 4 is no longer just a possibility, it’s almost a certainty. More importantly, Johnny Depp is all but assured to return, though our scooper claims he may end up making as much as $35 - $40 million to do it. Also returning will be Geoffrey Rush and Gore Verbinski as director, but forget about the rest of the cast because from now on the movies will only be about Captain Jack.
That’s right, Pirates 4 will cast aside Will and Elizabeth to make it an all Jack Sparrow movie. That won’t be the only change Disney is planning to make when the series continues though. Our scooper says, “the ending of Pirates 3, the fountain of youth story might not be the only story they might used the next pirate’s film. The fountain story could used in another form to introduce the story for Pirates 4… the next film might be a departure from the same formula of the last three movies as well, meaning that Jerry Bruckheimer could be planning to enter the realm of Science Fiction this time around and it could be the heart of a new trilogy with Jack Sparrow and his crew of misfits. Some of the brainstorming going around involves some Jules Verne type of scenarios involving some pretty big flying machines, a man who wants to rule more than just the ocean, a encounter with the most famous and dangerous pirate of all, a race to get to a lost world (Hint, Hint) and Jack and his crew going to where no pirate has gone before (No, its not space but Disney had made animated movie about this place before with Michel J Fox voicing one of the characters).”
Pirates science fiction? What the heck? The Michael J. Fox movie our source is referring to is almost certainly Atlantis, which would tie in the Jules Verne and science fiction elements mentioned. Apparently we’ll also get more of Jack’s past and his family, which could also mean more Keith Richards. I’d actually be ok with that, Keith was surprisingly good.
Don’t get too attached to the idea of another Pirates of the Caribbean sequel though. Our insider thinks that Disney plans to take a long, long breather between Pirates movies: “word is that the start date could be around 2009 to 2011.” I don’t think we need another Pirates sequel, but if they’re going to do one, giving the franchise time to recharge is probably a very good idea.
As always, consider everything above as nothing but rumor till something more develops. Our source is a proven one, but if we can’t give you our source, then consider anything we tell you as unconfirmed gossip.
From Lynne found at The Sun
Johnny buys a Depp res
AVAST-ly superior home, me hearties!
This luxury West Country pile has been snapped up by Pirates of the Caribbean star JOHNNY DEPP.
The actor, 44, has splashed out a reported £1.3million for the 150-year-old Somerset mansion.
He is now busy renovating the old hunting lodge, including building a helipad, swimming pool and tennis court.
Johnny, who also has pads in France and America and a 45-acre Bahamas island, will live there with French actress partner VANESSA PARADIS, 34, and their two kids.
A source said: “He’s made regular trips overseeing the work.”
The renovations are said to be costing Johnny £2.5million. Sounds like a shipload of doubloons.
From the New York PostTV'S DEPP WISH
By HASANI GITTENS
PrintEmailDigg ItRedditPermalinkStory BottomNovember 8, 2007 -- Academy Award nominee Johnny Depp trumps Oscar winners Clint Eastwood, Julia Roberts and John Wayne in a ranking of the most "wish-listed" actors by subscribers to TiVo.
The wish list allows TiVo users to set up their system to record all week anything that features a certain actor.
Depp has held the title eight of the past 10 weeks, said company spokeswoman Rachel Helfont.
From ShowBiz Spy
Johnny Depp buys $2.6m West Country mansionPosted by: Owen Williams @ 09 Nov -
Johnny Depp‘Pirates of The Caribbean’ actor Johnny Depp has reportedly bought a new family home - $2.6 Million mansion in Britain’s West Country. According to reports, Depp, 44, fell in love with the 150-year-old Somerset mansion as soon as he clapped eyes on it. Johnny, girlfriend Vanessa Paradis & and their 2 children are reportedly waiting for $5m worth of renovations to be completed before they move in. Johnny’s reportedly planning to install helicopter pad and swimming pool.
‘He’s made regular trips overseeing the work,’ a source told British newspaper The Sun. Depp already has homes in France and America as well as a 45-acre island in the Bahamas. And, according to Britain’s Now Magazine, the actor isn’t the only celebrity looking for a new abode; 18-year-old High School Musical actress Vanessa Hudgens has been looking for a new pad in the Hollywood Hills.
From the BBC
November 9, 2007
Bourne film leads Choice awards
Matt Damon film The Bourne Ultimatum leads the 34th annual People's Choice Awards after landing three nominations. The spy thriller is up for favourite film, favourite action movie and favourite "threequel". Pirates of the Caribbean star Johnny Depp is nominated for best male movie star and favourite male action star - categories he won last year. The winners, voted for by the American public, will be announced at a ceremony in Los Angeles on 8 January.Depp, who stars in the Pirates of the Caribbean series, takes on Bourne series leading man Damon in the favourite male action star category, along with Bruce Willis. Willis is also nominated alongside Depp for the best male movie award, with Denzel Washington also in contention. Pirates of the Caribbean: World's End will also compete against The Bourne Ultimatum in the favourite movie and favourite "threequel" categories.
Jessica Alba, star of films such as Sin City and Fantastic Four, landed two nominations - favourite leading lady and favourite female action star. In the TV categories, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, House, Law and Order: SVU are up for favourite TV drama. Sally Field, Katherine Heigl and Jennifer Love Hewitt are nominated in the favourite female TV star category. Patrick Dempsey, Charlie Sheen and Kiefer Sutherland compete in the best male TV star category.
Music nominations include Beyonce, Fergie and Gwen Stefani for best female singer and John Mayer, Tim McGraw and Justin Timberlake for best male. Daughtry, Maroon 5 and Rascal Flatts are nominated for favourite group.
Found by Emma at VisiMag
(excerpt)
Film Review #690, December 2007
(Reference #F213)
Now Available
Massive Winter Preview
It’s cold outside, so why not warm yourself up with our look at the 50 hottest films coming your way in the coldest season. Including :
• Sweeney Todd We talk to director Tim Burton and star Helena Bonham Carter
• The Golden Compass Star Daniel Craig and director Chris Weitz on Philip Pullman’s tale
• Lust, Caution Director Ang Lee on his controversial, erotically-charged drama
• I Am Legend Will Smith is the last Human on Earth in this adaptation of Richard Matheson’s book
Found by Pam at Ultimate
(excerpt)The DVD Christmas Wishlist
• It’s that time of year when we start doing our Christmas shopping, and the studios release the biggest movies and TV shows on disc. From Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At Worlds End to Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Doctor Who – Season 3 to Blade Runner – The Final Cut, we list the Top 25 discs to own this Christmas.
Plus
Our extensive round-up of all the biggest releases on sale between now and December 2007!
From Variety
Depp Leads TiVo Movie Star WishlistsSweeneytodd21024Each month TiVo tracks its customers' wishlisted actors. Viewers can select the stars whose movies they always want to see. This month Johnny Depp took over as the service's top wishlisted movie star, replacing Clint Eastwood.
Here’s TiVo's top ten wish-listed actors:
1 DEPP, JOHNNY
2 EASTWOOD, CLINT
3 GRANT, CARY
4 ROBERTS, JULIA
5 WAYNE, JOHN
6 HANKS, TOM
7 FORD, HARRISON
8 PACINO, AL
9 PITT, BRAD
10 CRUISE, TOM
I'm glad to see that one of my fave raves, John Wayne, still has fans. Angelina Jolie comes in at 13, Humphrey Bogart at 23, Arnold Schwarzenegger at 40 and Elvis Presley at 43.
SCREENING NEWS
Those near Cleveland can try for free tickets for a Dec 19th screening of Sweeney Todd - HERE and for those in the Los Angeles area, you can pay for a pre-release screening December 10th HERE
From the Chicago Tribune
Earth mother Julia Roberts wants to be a stay-at-home mom, and she thinks she looks like Johnny Depp.Those are just some of the excerpts from Roberts' interview with Vanity Fair posted in various reports Monday.
"The highest high would be growing our food that I then make, and then composting and growing more—that kind of circle," The Associated Press quoted her as saying.
On Depp: "I think he's so interesting, and I think we look alike in a funny way. ... Johnny Depp and I will play brother and sister in something," usatoday.com reported.
From MadScntst at Deppography
Celebrities Ink Their Approval for New Charity BookLONDON, November 7 /PRNewswire/ --
Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley and David Beckham are just a few of the celebrities who have given their ink handprints to the new book 'Celebrity Handprints' by James Preston, published 1st December 2007. Imagine, the fingerprints of Johnny Depp at your own fingertips. What's more, all proceeds from the sale of the book are being given to the UK charities BBC Children in Need and Great Ormond Street Hospital. The book is available from Amazon, bookstores and the website http://www.celebrityhandprints.org
James Preston has spent the past three years traveling the UK and the world compiling an amazing collection of ink handprints and accompanying photographs from over 100 of the most famous names in film, television, music and sport. In this book you'll find 42 unique expressions of identity for you to examine. Enjoy comparing each one and then your own palm to those of David Beckham, Johnny Depp or Keira Knightley. These actual size handprints provide a fascinating insight into the personality of the celebrities, who have shown kindness by contributing to this creative project.. Discover what makes a handprint such a symbol of achievement and success in Celebrity Handprints.
There'll definitely be at least one handprint in the book everyone will want to cut out and frame. Therefore, also available from the website http://www.celebrityhandprints.org is a unique limited edition series of giclee prints, quality reproductions from the contributing celebrities including Johnny Depp with other names such as Oasis, Little Britain, Gwen Stefani and UK footballers John Terry and Steven Gerrard being added. These actual size giclee prints are supplied for buyers to frame and come with an accompanying 5" x 7" professional photograph of the related celebrity having printed their hand. The UK charities BBC Children in Need and Great Ormond Street Hospital will additionally receive 30% from each giclee handprint sold.
The book 'Celebrity Handprints' is paperback, 110 pages and priced at GBP20.00. ISBN 978-0955752308. The giclee handprints may only be purchased via http://www.celebrityhandprints.org and are priced at GBP50.00 each.
There are ten copies of the book Celebrity Handprints by James Preston and the 1st in the series of each limited edition giclee print from the names released on offer to press features as reader giveaways/prizes.
Note to Editors:
A picture accompanying this release is available through the PA Photowire. It can be viewed at http://www.mediapoint.press.net or http://www.prnewswire.co.uk.
Distributed by PR Newswire on behalf of Celebrity Hand Prints Ltd
Buy celebrity hand print of JohnnyDepp here
From USA Today
Julia Roberts: The greening of a superstar
(excerpt)
And after having worked with so many leading men, she singles out Johnny Depp as one she'd still like to work with. "I think he's so interesting, and I think we look alike in a funny way. … Johnny Depp and I will play brother and sister in something."
People Magazine has their own Johnny Depp Page
Johnny Related News from Media Bistro
Marc Weingarten's Review Pushed Hunter Thompson Widow To TearsHunter Thompson's widow, Anita Thompson, is boo-hooing over Marc Weingarten's LAT review of a new biography of the gonzo king, Gonzo: The Life of Hunter S. Thompson.
According to Stacey McCain in the Washington Times, Jann Wenner and Corey Seymour discredit everything Thompson wrote after leaving Rolling Stone. Considering the source, well, duh. What does she expect from Wenner? She sounds annoying as hell. So many rock widows do.
Weingarten wrote:
Rolling Stone founder Jann S. Wenner and writer Corey Seymour-- who held Thompson's hand as a Rolling Stone assistant editor in the '90s--trace the slow spiral into infirmity and depression ending in Thompson's suicide on Feb. 20, 2005.What "Gonzo" makes abundantly clear is that he circled the drain for a long time.
Mrs. Thompson wrote Wenner a tell-off letter last May, but assures fans that Johnny Depp, who wrote the forward, is a-okay: for those of you worried about Johnny Depp, although I haven't spoken to him in a long time, I can assure you that he probably did not have a chance to read the manuscript before agreeing to let Jann republish his rolling stone article as the "forward."
From New York Magazine
11/ 2/07
1:00 PM
Johnny Depp's ‘Sweeney Todd’ Performance in No Way Influenced by Actor's Bollocks
"I just didn't see the character developing with me doing scales in front of a piano, with a vocal teacher going, 'No, no — bring it up from the bollocks.''' —Johnny Depp on why he forwent singing lessons for his role in Sweeney Todd.
(more below)
From The LA Times
Making 'The Deserter's Tale' into a film means proceeding with caution
(excerpt)
It's tough when the subject is Iraq.
By Josh Getlin, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
November 2, 2007NEW YORK -- In the last two years, Jody Hotchkiss, a literary agent specializing in book-to-film deals, has had high hopes for two titles focusing on the Iraq war. Both books were vivid and highly cinematic, he said. He pitched them to producers.
Filmmakers wouldn't touch "The Deserter's Tale," fearing box office poison in the true story of a soldier who said he was horrified by U.S. atrocities and fled to Canada. But Johnny Depp acquired the rights to "The Bomb in My Garden," about an Iraqi scientist who tried to develop an atomic bomb for Saddam Hussein, then turned himself and his research in to U.S. officials. The only hitch: Producers changed the focus, beefing up the role of the American journalist who helped the bomb maker escape Baghdad. "Nobody wants to see a film about an Iraqi nuclear scientist," a source close to the deal explained.
From the Press Association
Potter and Depp make glasses cool1 day ago
Children who wore glasses in the 1980s suffered the worst bullying for their sight problems, a survey has found.
These days, only one child in 20 is teased for wearing specs, with glasses seen as conveying cleverness and even regarded as "trendy" by some pupils, the poll said.
Playground jibes were far more common two decades ago, according to a survey for the College of Optometrists.
Nearly three-quarters of adults now aged between 35 and 44 said they witnessed teasing or bullying of children for wearing specs when they were at school.
This was compared to fewer than half of recent school leavers.
Only 5% of under-16s said they were "bullied" for wearing glasses at school, and only 7% were "teased" or told they looked "geeky".
Many youngsters apparently now believe glasses are a source of envy among school-mates.
Dr Susan Blakeney, from the College of Optometrists, said: "When I was a child glasses were certainly no fashion statement and children came up with a whole variety of unpleasant and cruel names to use for the people who wore them.
"However, a changing attitude amongst the young, enhanced by cultural icons such as Harry Potter and Johnny Depp, has led to children no longer seeing glasses as a reason to tease each other."
:: The research was carried out online among 1,000 seven to 16-year-olds.
Found by WittyJack at MSN
Celebrities' Humble Beginnings
Johnny Depp
OK, Johnny Depp as a young rock star is totally believable, and long before he took inspiration from Keith Richards for his "Pirates of the Caribbean" role, the actor did front a band called The Kids as a teenager. But one of his first real jobs is harder to picture: as a telemarketer trying to sell pens over the phone.
Johnny Depp will be on the next Entertainment Weekly - hitting stores Friday November 2nd. From EW.com
Cover Story
'Sweeney Todd': A Musical on the Cutting Edge
He sings, he slashes -- and did we mention he sings? Johnny Depp puts his neck on the line in Tim Burton's gruesome movie adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim favorite
JOHNNY DEPP ON SWEENEY TODD ''How many chances do you get at a musical about a serial killer?''
Photo by Peter Mountain
By Steve DalyWhat sort of gift would you bring Johnny Depp, if he were to invite you to his home in the south of France? Six years ago, his director pal Tim Burton turned up with an original cast recording of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. ''I thought, That's weird,'' says Depp. ''I wonder why he gave me that.'' Broadway zealots have long been obsessed with the show, which won a Tony for Best Musical in 1979. But like most of the general public, Depp is not a Broadway zealot. He never got around to discussing the music with Burton. Still, he came to admire the sweet-and-sour mix of harmony and dissonance in Stephen Sondheim's intricate songs. ''I wouldn't say it's something I would listen to every day, necessarily,'' he admits. ''It's quite large and operatic. I've never been a big-musical sort of guy.''
Neither has Burton, actually. The director can't stand most burst-into-song movie-musical conventions. But he has always loved the heightened, melodramatic mien of Sweeney, in which a kindly man becomes a crazed serial killer. And he's managed to enlist Depp in creating a remarkably faithful film adaptation in which most of the action unfolds in song, pulling it off with something close to carte blanche from key DreamWorks and Warner execs.
It's mid-October, and Burton is holed up in a postproduction facility in Manhattan, where he has until mid-November to deliver a final copy of the movie. He says this is the first time he hasn't had to submit a film to the test-screening process (although there have been screenings for marketing purposes). ''The studio people realize that the movie is what it is,'' he says. Besides, it's made up of interlocking musical sequences. ''It's not like there's other stuff to cut into it to replace anything.''
An early look at a version with only a rough sound mix confirms some expectations — the film is dark, desaturated, and visually stunning — and yields some revelations: First, Johnny Depp can actually sing, and second,the movie's got more spurting blood than a season's worth of E.R. Like the show, Sweeney Todd spins a gruesome tale of vengeance in 19th-century London. Unlike other, more whimsical characters in the Depp-Burton canon, including sad sack Edward Scissorhands and nutty candyman Willy Wonka, this guy is hard as a cobblestone: a heedless, psychopathic murderer. Depp's Todd starts slitting the throats of innocent customers as an expression of rage after a corrupt judge (Alan Rickman) steals away his wife and daughter. (He also squares off against a nasty rival barber, played by Sacha Baron Cohen, better known as Borat.) ''That was always the difficulty,'' Depp says, ''taking a character like that and attempting to make people feel for him, at the same time that he's slashing people up. Not easy.''
But easier, perhaps, than Helena Bonham Carter's job in playing Mrs. Lovett, Todd's ghoulish partner in crime. Desperate to be part of Todd's life and to exorcise his wife's ghost, she becomes his business associate, grinding victims into meat pies and selling them to an unsuspecting public. ''It's so sick,'' she says of the subplot, wondering about the reaction. ''I hope we get away with it.''
Though it ultimately got made in a hurry, Sweeney Todd languished in development for decades. Alan Parker (Evita) was said to be interested in the '80s. Burton himself took a stab at it in the early '90s, but he says it came to nothing because there wasn't a script in place. Sam Mendes worked on a version for several years with Gladiator scribe John Logan before making 2005's Jarhead instead. Then, in the summer of 2006, Burton suddenly had an opening in his schedule after his Jim Carrey movie, Ripley's Believe It or Not!, fell apart. He pounced on Sweeney, and quickly persuaded Depp to join him. The budget commitment wasn't huge — around $50 million — and the shooting schedule sounded hectic at just 60 days. However, as Depp puts it, ''How many chances do you get at a musical about a serial killer?''And how many chances does a non-singer get at tackling such an insanely difficult score? Did Depp realize what he was getting into? Sondheim, who had casting approval, okayed the actor without hearing him perform any material. ''I figured he'd have a light baritone,'' says the composer, now 77. ''You can hear it in his speaking voice. I love him as an actor, and always have. Put those things together, I didn't hesitate for one second.'' Depp was floored at passing muster so easily. ''It was a real shock,'' he says. ''He said to me early on that the singing was secondary to hitting the notes emotionally.'' Depp takes a beat. ''I didn't believe him.'' He laughs. ''I think he was probably just saying that to make me feel better about what I was about to attempt.''
Depp did have the advantage of a musical background. The actor first came to L.A. in the early '80s as the lead guitarist in a pompadoured punk-pop quartet called the Kids. The group lasted only a few years, and Depp has noodled around on guitar and bass in a number of other bands since. But he's sung only cursory backup bits. When the actor starred in John Waters' 1990 movie musical Cry-Baby, another guy dubbed his rockabilly songs. ''I knew I could stay in key to some degree,'' he says. ''But I didn't know if I could sustain a note, or belt one out.''
Last fall, when it came time to start working on his vocals, Depp was still in Captain Jack attire, filming the third Pirates of the Caribbean movie. That's when he did something unexpected, nonconformist, and potentially calamitous: He decided to go it alone. ''I was talking to people and they were saying, Well, of course you're going to get a singing teacher,'' he says. ''And I said, 'Oh, yeah-yeah! Of course I will. Yeah.' '' Instead, Depp ran as far from formal instruction as he could. ''I just didn't see the character developing with me doing scales in front of a piano and a vocal teacher going, 'No, no — bring it up from the bollocks,' '' he says. ''That kind of thing would have been a disaster. I would still be rehearsing right now. Or I'd have been fired.''
The Sweeney preproduction team was headquartered at Pinewood Studios, near London, where Burton now lives. But Depp chose to hole up at a West Hollywood recording studio. He felt he had to find the voice — and thereby the character — by making demo recordings on his own. The guy at the mixing board was an old friend named Bruce Witkin, who founded a small label called Unison Music. ''He's a brother,'' says Depp. The two were bandmates in the Kids and had lived together as teenagers in Florida, where Depp grew up.
Like buddies cramming for a test, Depp and Witkin found a groove. ''It was an enormous help and comfort,'' says Depp. ''It meant everything in finding Sweeney.'' The preproduction team, however, was getting antsy. Filming was set to start in February of 2007 and, as of late October in 2006, Depp hadn't sent anyone a sample of his singing. Says producer Richard Zanuck: ''Nobody had heard Johnny's voice. Millions of dollars, committed on an assumption. We all said to one another, 'Johnny is a smart guy. He would never put himself in this position if he didn't think he could do it. He must be able to sing.' But nobody could prove that!'' Finally, on Nov. 2, Burton received a CD with Depp performing ''My Friends,'' a song Sweeney croons to his beloved razors. Burton was elated. ''He was really supportive,'' Depp says. ''It was the reaction I was praying for.''
Just as Depp had unusual freedom to shape his vocals, Burton was given great latitude in dreaming up his extremely gruesome visuals; the studio consented to an R rating from the start, though it would limit the audience. The director saw the picture as an homage to old Universal horror flicks (Frankenstein, The Black Cat), creepy silent-film melodramas (any number of Lon Chaney spine-tinglers), and Hammer horror films (pulpy fare from the '50s and '60s). Both Burton and Depp say there are major nods to Peter Lorre's Mad Love performance in Sweeney. Oh, and that shock of white in Depp's hair? A sign of Todd's trauma — and possibly a nod to Humphrey Bogart's skunk stripe in his lone horror picture, The Return of Dr. X., a Burton favorite. (Plus Depp says he's got a nephew with a white streak.)
Burton felt Sweeney should be deliberately grotesque — a Mario Bava gorefest with ballads. ''It just goes with the story,'' he says of the geysers of plasma. ''I'd seen different Sweeney Todd productions on stage, and when they skimped on the blood, the production lost something. Everything is so internal with Sweeney that [the blood] is like his emotional release. It's more about catharsis than it is a literal thing.'' Audiences may or may not see it so intellectually when the viscera hit the camera lens.
Back in London, Burton's partner of six years, Helena Bonham Carter, is seven months pregnant with their second child. (Their first, Billy Ray, is now 4.) She's due to deliver in December, around the time the film opens, and sounds unsure about which labor will be more difficult: the movie, or the baby.
''It was one of the toughest, most grueling rites of passage we went through in our relationship,'' says the actress, who appeared in small parts in Burton's Big Fish and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, as well as in a key simian role in Planet of the Apes. ''I think I had to be righter than right to prove I was right to play Mrs. Lovett. But it had been in my blood. I wanted to be her when I was 13, when the show came out. I went around with a Mrs. Lovett hairdo.'' Unlike Depp, Bonham Carter studied for months with a renowned vocal coach, Ian Adam. ''He was famous for making actors sing who couldn't previously,'' she says. Sadly, he died the week filming wrapped.
With the premiere of Sweeney Todd approaching, Bonham Carter knows she's in for a barrage of innuendo about nepotism, having scored a lead role that show-tune fans on chat boards had envisioned for a more seasoned singer-actress like Meryl Streep. ''I'm sure people will think, Aah, it's because I've slept with Tim,'' she says. ''But I didn't sleep with Sondheim. And he ultimately chose me.'' The composer says he watched a dozen or so audition tapes and insists that Bonham Carter's performance was the best. ''Even in a recording studio, wearing a schmatte, she is as beautiful and sexy as they come,'' he says. ''She knew what she was doing, more than the others.'' Sondheim is equally pleased with Depp. ''There are very few people who can act and sing at the same time,'' he says. ''He's one.''
Depp remains nervous about it all. In the spectrum of actors-turned-singers, he has no idea if he'll be received the way Ewan McGregor was in Moulin Rouge! (huzzah!), or more like Burt Reynolds in At Long Last Love (boo!). He may be the poster boy for cool, but he's sweating. ''I always freak out when any of my films are about to come out,'' he says. ''I think it's totally normal.'' It probably doesn't help that Sweeney Todd is an oddity, even within the anything-goes confines of Depp's filmography. ''Somebody sent me this thing from online,'' he says. ''Somebody said after they saw the trailer, 'I don't understand why, in the middle of that trailer, Depp broke into a song.' Like, 'Whoa! What is he doing?''' Forging his own path, as always. This time with a razor.
More from EW.Com
Johnny Depp: Cutting Loose in ''Sweeney Todd''
The star of the new Tim Burton-directed gruesome musical tells EW about exercising his vocal chords, being doused with fake blood -- and why his daughter thinks he's really weird
JOHNNY DEPP Says his version of demon barber Sweeney Todd ''makes Sid Vicious look like the innocent paper boy''
By Steve Daly
If you thought Pirates of the Caribbean's Capt. Jack Sparrow was strange, just wait until you see Johnny Depp's next movie. As Sweeney Todd, in Tim Burton's adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim musical (opening Dec. 21), the actor summons all sorts of dark energy to play a singing, murderous London barber. ''He makes Sid Vicious look like the innocent paper boy,'' Depp says. ''He's beyond dark. He's already dead. He's been dead for years.'' EW caught up with the star to talk about the role, what it was like performing opposite Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen, why he hates watching himself on screen, and — aaaargh! — how it feels to be an attraction at Disneyland.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: This Sweeney dude — he is messed up! You are going to freak out a lot of pre-pubescent girls with this character.
JOHNNY DEPP: Ah, finally! It's a radical left turn, that's for sure. The difficulty and the challenge [was] taking a character like that and attempting to make people feel for him, at the same time that he's slashing people up. Not easy. But I certainly hope it came across that way.Musical lovers and Stephen Sondheim fanatics know Sweeney Todd really well. What about the general public?
Somebody sent me this thing from online. Somebody said, after they saw the trailer, ''I don't understand why in the middle of that trailer Depp broke into a song.'' Like, ''Whoa — What is he doing?''Singers say Sondheim's melodies can be incredibly tough. Why?
It's real obtuse stuff. When you start to take those pieces apart, melody line by melody line, it's a lot of half-steps, which is not real easy to do. Kind of go G to A-flat to A to B-flat. It's super, ultra complicated, these notes that shouldn't work together at times. But he made them so.Did Sondheim have any good advice for you?
He said to me early on, it was much more about the acting work than the singing. He felt the singing was secondary to hitting the notes emotionally. I didn't believe him. [Laughs] I think he was probably saying that to make me feel better about what I was about to attempt.And what did that feel like?
Frightening. Really frightening! When Tim asked if I'd be into it, he said, ''Do you think you can sing?'' And I said, ''Honestly, I don't know.'' I'm not tone deaf, so I knew I could stay in key to some degree. But I didn't know if I could sustain a note, or belt one out.You were in a number of rock and roll bands before you became an actor. Didn't you do any singing in those?
Virtually none. Just backup.And yet Sondheim approved you without an audition.
Sondheim, bless him, had barely heard me talk. So when he said, ''He'll be fine,'' it was a real shock.What did Tim Burton say to you after he finally heard your singing voice?
He couldn't have been sweeter about it. He was really supportive, and said he really liked it. It was the reaction I was praying for.
How did you first start practicing?
When I was finishing Pirates of the Caribbean, the third one, I had a good two-hour drive to work and a good two-hour drive back home, and that was what I did every day. I would listen to [the score] nonstop, just constantly. Various versions. And then just a musical version without any vocals. I saturated my noggin with it.But you didn't undergo any formal training?
I was talking to people and they were saying, ''Well of course you're going to get a singing teacher.'' And I said, ''Oh, yeah — Yeah! Of course I will, yeah.'' But the closer I got to knowing the music, and to knowing the character, the further away I got from that whole thing.Why?
I just didn't see the character developing with me doing scales in front of a piano, with a vocal teacher going, ''No, no — bring it up from the bollocks.'' That kind of thing would have been a disaster. I would still be rehearsing right now. Or I'd have been fired. Singing couldn't be more foreign to me in a lot of ways, but at the same time, I need to incorporate my own process to find it, to see where I land.So you went into a West Hollywood recording studio with Bruce Witkin, who used to play in that band the Kids with you in the early '80s, and now is a recording engineer.
It was just myself in a booth and Bruce at the controls. Just the two of us. I was in there singing and he was in there pushing buttons, recording stuff. This guy is someone I've known for 30 years. He's a brother. We worked in bands together, we were on the road together. We lived together when we were teenagers. His mom was basically my second mom. It was an enormous help and comfort. It meant everything in finding Sweeney. I'm so pleased that he was there, that the first dive was with him.What's with Sweeney's big shock of white hair?
The idea was that he'd had this hideous trauma, from being sent away, locked away. That streak of white hair became the shock of that rage. It represented his rage over what had happened. It's certainly not the first time anyone's used it. But it's effective. It tells a story all by itself. My brother had a white spot growing up, and his son has this kind of shock of white in his hair.What else went into your preparation?
In those early meetings, what started to go into the look, before the white streak and any of that, was the eyes. As with any character, the history is there. It sounds really stupid, but I thought they needed to be far away and very close at the same time. They needed to have experienced too much, you know. That's where the darkness came around them. These heavy rings around his eyes of purple and brown, this kind of awful fatigue and rage. It's like he's never slept.Were you conscious of what previous actors had done as Sweeney?
Tim and I early on said, ''We've got one shot. I don't think we need to go where Len Cariou went or Michael Cerveris went. We should go somewhere else. This could be the punk-rock Sweeney, you know. The alternative Sweeney.''So who did you look to for inspiration?
I'd say if there was someone hanging around the back of my mind, it had to have been Peter Lorre from Mad Love. He was kind of my ghost for it.Why him, and why that movie?
He's unbelievably disturbing. Broken and haunting and sweet. Way ahead of its time, that film and performance. The other sort of God for me is Lon Chaney Sr. Aside from Peter Lorre, he would be the other enormous inspiration. Did you ever see his film The Penalty? It's shocking. He plays an amputee who's had his legs cut off at the knee. And he walks around on crutches. What he did was he trained himself to be able to pull his legs behind his back and fold them, and then harness them to his back and he could only stay like that for like 20 minutes at a time or something. It was already beyond Cirque du Soleil. His performance is so heightened and gorgeous. I highly recommend that one.How messy was it filming Sweeney's really bloody scenes?
I remember everyone except me being covered in plastic trash bags. There'd be a countdown. Three, two, one...action! And then blammo, you know? The great deluge. The process we shot in called for a slightly over-the-top kind of color. They were going to desaturate it later, so they had to bring the color up on the set. It was kind of orangeish. A very unnatural-looking color.What does all that fake blood smell and taste like?
It tasted kind of like a Karo-syrupy sort of thing. It was oily. And it was dangerous. Slippery. You'd see these big English grips, tiptoeing through the swamp of blood. Very surreal.Sacha Baron Cohen plays another barber in Sweeney Todd. What's he like when he's not Borat or Bruno or Ali G?
He's not what I expected. I didn't look at those characters and think, This will be the sweetest guy in the world. He's incredibly nice. A real gentleman, kind of elegant. I was impressed with him. He's kind of today's equivalent of Peter Sellers.You have a scene with Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs. Lovett, set to the song ''My Friends,'' where you never once look at her — she's out of focus behind you. It's right for the character, but did that freak her out on the set?
She was terrific about it, Helena. We did that entire piece and I don't think we made eye contact at all. It seemed like the right thing to do. I thought the only time he'd have real intense eye contact would be with his wife when they were younger, or with Judge Turpin. I really tried to stick to that. It wasn't always possible, but we came close.
You and your partner, Vanessa Paradis, have socialized with Tim and Helena [who are a couple in real life] for a long time now.
I'm one of [their son] Billy's godfathers, yeah.Do you ever get cranky with Tim after six movies?
We've never had an argument. The process [on Sweeney] has been as smooth as since way back when. Obviously, you want to come up with a character that you are not going to be embarrassed about. With Tim, I just don't want to let him down. Because, you know, he's a brother. He's my family. So that's one of the scariest sorts of things initially. Just making sure I haven't disappointed Tim. Once we get through that then I can kind of make sure I'm okay with it.You talked about always worrying if you let Tim down. Did he like what you were doing as Sweeney?
After certain takes, Tim would just howl with laughter and go, ''I think this is my favorite character.'' [Laughs] Because he just answers people with grunting: Uhhhhhhhh.Back in March, reports appeared that your daughter Lily-Rose, who was 7 at the time, had been hospitalized in London with a very serious illness. Where were you in making Sweeney Todd?
We were about 3 weeks into shooting.How bad did things get?
To say it was the darkest moment, that's nothing. It doesn't come close to describing it. Words are so small. But knowing that those people, Tim and the crew, shut down and stood by and waited...I didn't know if I was coming back. I remember talking with Tim, saying, ''Maybe you need to recast.''But your daughter is fine now?
You bet. Now every single millisecond is a mini-celebration, man. Every time we get to breathe in and exhale is a huge victory. She pulled through beautifully, perfectly, with no lasting anything. Once we were given the all clear, I had to dive back into the work, and I had to get back in there for Tim.Did you let your family in on your Sweeney singing practice?
When I was doing the demos in Los Angeles, I came home and played it for Vanessa. That was one of the more frightening moments. You go, I'm gonna fall flat on my face.What did the family make of it?
They said, ''Is that you?''Do they often weigh in on your performances?
After Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, [my family] went to see it. I hadn't seen it. I was waiting at home, and they came back. And my daughter came up and went, ''You're really weird.'' And I knew then, Okay. I'm okay. I'm all right.So have you seen Charlie since then?
I still haven't. I find it so difficult to watch anything I'm in. I don't like to be aware of myself in that way. I love discovering moments on the set. But I can't stand the idea that I have to see it later. I truly feel like it's none of my business. There's always that moment of, Well why did I do that? What the f--- were you thinking? It's horrible, seeing myself. Once they say, ''You're wrapped,'' you just walk away. Walk away and keep walkin'.So are you saying you will never sit down and watch Sweeney Todd?
I may see bits. There are definitely things I'd like to see. Unfortunately, I'm involved in them.Was it hard to shake the Sweeney character once you wrapped?
It's a couple of weeks, where you're getting the rest of that skin off, you know, the residue. But...it was good to be done. It wasn't like with other characters, like with [Pirates of the Caribbean's] Captain Jack.You're fond of Captain Jack. What about seeing yourself as an animatronic Jack at Disneyland?
The idea of my character being put into the ride forever and ever, and that my grandchildren will go there and see that — that'll spin you out. That was a hard one to deal with. It was so absurd, the notion that this character is now in Disneyland. It was to me as absurd as seeing any other character that I'd happened to play, like Raoul Duke or any of them.Are you sick of seeing Captain Jack at this point?
It was all so strange. You know, when you see yourself on cereal boxes and stuff like that, you had to embrace it. It was so bizarre that you had to be proud of it.What's going on with the movie of Shantaram? [Gregory David Roberts' autobiographical novel about an ex-heroin addict and escaped convict who flees to Bombay and sets up a health clinic.]
Mira Nair is going to direct. We start sometime in January or February, I think in India. [I've] been talking about this one for going on three years now, and it will be nice to see it come alive. I'm just starting to prepare for it.And what about talk that you'd like to do a Dark Shadows feature, from Dan Curtis' old occult soap-opera TV series?
If that comes to fruition, that's a dream come true, man. Barnabas Collins — when I was a kid I wanted to be Barnabas.Why him? Why a vampire?
I think a lot of kids did. He was super-mysterious, with that really weird hairdo and the wolf's-head cane. Good stuff.
From Yahoo News
Johnny Depp says daughter is now healthy
Thu Nov 1, 4:29 PM ETNEW YORK - Johnny Depp says his 8-year-old daughter is now healthy and well following her hospitalization earlier this year.T
"Now every single millisecond is a mini-celebration," the 44-year-old actor tells Entertainment Weekly in its Nov. 9 issue. "Every time we get to breathe in and exhale is a huge victory. She pulled through beautifully, perfectly, with no lasting anything."
Lily-Rose, the daughter of Depp and French singer Vanessa Paradis, was admitted to a British hospital to receive treatment for an undisclosed ailment about three weeks after Depp started work on "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street," Tim Burton's adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim musical about a murderous barber.
"To say it was the darkest moment, that's nothing," Depp tells the magazine. "It doesn't come close to describing it. Words are so small. But knowing that those people, Tim and the crew, shut down and stood by and waited ... I didn't know if I was coming back. I remember talking with Tim, saying, `Maybe you need to recast.'"
"Once we were given the all-clear, I had to dive back into the work," he says. "I had to get back in there for Tim."
"Sweeney Todd" is set for limited release in the U.S. next month.
Depp and Paradis also have a 5-year-old son, Jack.
From Boston Now
Hats Off to Christine A. Moore
(excerpt)
Rachel Solar Fashion EditorWith her early roots in costume design for theater, the owner and designer of Christine A. Moore Millinery has been creating hats professionally for almost 20 years. Today, her stylemaking creations have been worn by such celebs as Halle Berry and Cynthia Nixon.
BostonNOW: Which celebrities wear hats well?
Christine Moore: Celebrites love to be noticed,[and] have the confidence to wear hats, and so naturally they look fabulous. Alicia Keyes is my number one pick for the best hat wearer and then Diane Keaton. (I just found out that she is a big fan of my hats!) Johnny Depp and Samuel L. Jackson wear hats extremely well.BN: Which hats flatter which faces?
CM: I always recommend that the crown of the hat appear wider than your heekbones. That could be achieved by a larger shaped crown, a larger fitting hat [Note: CM developed something in 1993 that makes the fit of all her hats adjustable], or trim that extends out past the crown making the crown appear fuller. Most people look better in hats that are worn at a slight tilt or hats that have a tilt or dip already in the brim.BN: And for specific face shapes?
CM: Oval faces can wear just about every shape hat. Round faces need a higher crown and larger brim. Oblong need a shorter crown and larger brim. Square jaws and heart-shaped faces need a rounded crown and generally look good in small brims. One other tip: While hat wearers should always have the lowest edge of the hat, whether the edge of the brim or the bottom of the crown, at your eyebrows, people who wear glasses should push their hats back a tiny bit on their forehead to give show some forehead space. Basically, you do not want the hat to sit on your glasses, but the glasses should not prohibit you from wearing hats.
From The SunPub bar on Johnny Depp
October 29, 2007
FILM star Johnny Depp was turned away from a village pub – because he had not booked a table.Depp, 43, wanted a meal at the trendy Fox and Goose Inn at Fressingfield, Suffolk.
But he missed out because all the 18th century pub’s tables were already taken.
The Pirates of the Caribbean star is reportedly looking for a home in the area.
From DVD Talk
Inside the Actors Studio: Johnny Depp
Shout Factory // PG // $14.99 // November 20, 2007
Review by Jamie S. Rich | posted October 28, 2007 |
THE SHOW:
Inside the Actors Studio has been running on the Bravo Network for nearly fourteen years now. An outcropping of the famous acting school that has been active since the middle of the last century, it is an open classroom, an extension of the drama department coursework at the New School in New York. The format has been the same since the beginning: an actor stops by, sits for an hour or more with host James Lipton discussing his or her career, Lipton asks the guest a series of questions originally invented by Marcel Proust, and then the students in the audience ask a few questions about craft.
In 2002, as part of the show's eighth season, Johnny Depp participated in the forum, and it's that episode that makes up the new Inside the Actors Studio: Johnny Depp. At that point in the actor's history, his most recent films were Chocolat, which is discussed briefly, and Blow, which only comes up in the collection of photos that illustrates Lipton's introduction of the performer.
Depp is a good subject, openly guarded and shy, thoughtfully considering his answers and what he is willing to share. A droll sense of humor emerges the more comfortable he gets in the hot seat. James Lipton's approach of going from birth through early life and career and all the way to the actor's most recent project serves to put the subject at ease. The questions of childhood and parentage work as a kind of nest liner, a reassurance that the interviewee is in a place he can feel safe being candid.
There is not a lot to dissect here. The show runs a little over fifty minutes, and Depp's perspective is wholly unique, as anyone who has tracked his choices of acting roles will already know. It would have been preferable to get some kind of updated edition, covering his transition into blockbuster superstar in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies and his further explorations with his regular collaborator, Tim Burton, up to and including the forthcoming Sweeney Todd. Perhaps this is something to consider for future volumes of the series (there have been two boxed sets and a couple of individual releases like this one so far). Even if the actor can't come back to the classroom, maybe Lipton could go to the actor for a quick catch-up.
Still, Inside the Actors Studio: Johnny Depp is what it is. I really like Johnny Depp (Lipton can count me among the teenagers that worshipped him on 21 Jump Street), and I like hearing artisans discuss their craft. Inside the Actors Studio is an unadorned platform for that to happen, and this selection in particular is free of hype, far more straightforward than your average talk show or promotional interview.
THE DVDVideo:
Inside the Actors Studio: Johnny Depp is shown at its original fullscreen aspect ratio. Shot for television, the picture quality is average. It's not really a special effects venue, so the DVD really only requires a conscientious transfer, and that's what we get here.Sound:
A very standard stereo mix with Closed Captioning.Extras:
Unlike previous Inside the Actors Studio releases, the Johnny Depp disc has no deleted scenes. The only extra here is James Lipton's new video introduction that plays before the episode. That's it. Not even a scene selection menu.The DVD is packaged in a clear plastic case with a printed outer slipcover.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Recommended. Inside the Actors Studio: Johnny Depp is another excellent choice in the Shout! Factory series of DVD selections from the long-running television series. A show of this kind is only as good as its guests, and Johnny Depp has an excellent filmography worthy of study. An involving hour of conversation.
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End comes out December 4th
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