Public Enemies one of 2009’s Most Anticipated Movies

An article in the Chicago News states that MovieTickets.com did a survey of 4,000 movie fans that bought tickets from its site for their most anticipated films for 2009, and the results are in. Michael Manns "Public Enemies," with Johnny Depp has come in at 4th place with the most popular pick being “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” Below, the full list of ten most anticipated films.


1. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (July 17, 2009, Warner Bros.)

2. X-Men Origins: Wolverine (May 1, 2009, 20th Century Fox)

3. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (June 26, 2009, Paramount)

4. Public Enemies (July 1, 2009, Universal)

5. Angels & Demons (May 15, 2009, Sony)

6. Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian (May 22, 2009, 20th Century Fox)

7. The Informant (September 11, 2009, Warner Bros)

8. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (July 1, 2009, 20th Century Fox)

9. The Day the Earth Stood Still (December 12, 2008, 20th Century Fox)

10. The Taking of Pelham 123 (July 31, 2009, Sony)

Johnny In The Headwear Hall Of Fame

This is the most bizzare piece of news I have heard to date but this is the Johnny Depp Community Blog so lets Introduce the "Headwear Hall of Fame". As you know Johnny loves his hats and is very rarely seen without one and now he will go into the Headwear Hall Of Fame to recognize the positive influence of famous hat wearers on headwear fashion. Johnny is one of the first six inductees of the Headwear Hall of Fame which includes Jackie Kennedy, Princess Diana, Samuel L. Jackson Madonna,and Vince Lombardi. "The Headwear Association chose these trend setters as our first inductees into the Headwear Hall of Fame because they support the proactive and fashionable wearing of hats," said Bob Broner, president of The Headwear Association. "Whether a star in politics, sports or in the movies, these celebrities have served as unofficial hat ambassadors showcasing popular hats of their time." Source: MarketWatch

Elfman, Lee & Rickman Join Alice In Wonderland

So much news coming out about Tim Burtons Alice In Wonderland. Danny Elfman has confirmed his involvement in the film score for Alice. Other news includes Cripen Glover who is now attached to play the Knave Of Hearts. The Knave is the character accused by the Queen for stealing her tarts, and is sent to trial. Alice and the Mad Hatter stand up to save him, but the matter is never resolved before Alice wakes up from her dream.

Alan Rickman is attached to play the 'hookah-smoking Caterpillar.' exactly three inches high which, according to him, "is a very good height indeed". Alice does not like the Caterpillar when they first meet, because he does not immediately talk to her and when he does, it is usually in short, rather rude sentences, or difficult questions.

Finally the famous Christopher Lee in his 4th Collaboration with Burton is joining the cast of Alice although it is not yet known which role he will play.

Johnny Graces The Cover Of Mindfoods

According to Thread MiNDFOOD’s launch into the New Zealand market have had the world’s most beautiful, talented women grace the cover of their magazine including Scarlett Johansson, Madonna, Sarah Jessica Parker, Charlize Theron, Meryl Streep, Penelope Cruz and Julianne Moore. The magazine has given one smart thinking man an opportunity to take pride of place under the masthead, voted for by the New Zealand public. Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, Barack Obama, Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman and David Beckham are just a few of the 16 options that was available on the voting page at MiNDFOOD.
Michael McHugh, Editor-in-Chief comments, “We positioned ourselves as a smart thinking title and, as a result, have attracted a varied group of loyal readers – who are not just women. We have wanted a male cover for sometime, but the robust debate in the office over who it should be, made us realise that we should put this one out to readers, and they haven’t disappointed. We have received hundreds of online votes and while there are a few clear favourites - some of them surprising!” Well, we're not surprised at all Johnny took out the spot. In fact, we think the best man won. Well done, MiNDFOOD.

Blast From The Past - The Brave

In our Sixth segment of Blast From The Past we introduce The Brave from 1997 adapted from the Gregory McDonald novel of the same title. Directed by Johnny Depp who also co-wrote the screenplay with his brother, and played the leading role. The film was first shown at the 1997 Cannes film festival.


Reviews

The Brave received great reviews in Europe and received a 10 min standing ovation at the film festival, however American Critics trashed the film from start to finish, which may have added to Johnny’s decision not to release the film in the US.

Film Plot

Johnny plays a Native American named Raphael who lives with his wife and two children in a remote community by a rubbish dump in order to find whatever they can to sell to make a living. Raphael, due to his inability to provide for his family, he agrees to star in a snuff film for a large sum of money that he hopes will give his family a chance for a better life. Having been given the money in advance, Raphael is given a week to live and then return to be tortured and killed in front of the camera. The film follows Raphael's transformation with his relationship with his wife and children over the course of his final week of life and his own personal anguish with his fate.

The Brave - Johnny Depp

Short Clip of Johnny Depps Movie The Brave with Marlon Brando.

Sweeny Todd Now Available On Blu-Ray

I think we all welcome the news of having Sweeney Todd available on Blu-Ray and for thoses of you who have not yet seen this wonderful film watch the Trailer. Sweeney Todd tells the story of Benjamin Barker was sentanced to jail for a crime he didn't commit, Benjamin Barker now Sweeney Todd, returns to London to find his wife dead and his daughter in the hands of the evil Judge Turpin. In his anger, Sweeney goes on a murderous rampage on all London, with the help of Mrs. Lovett, he opens a barber shop in which he lures his victims in with a charming smile before casually ending their life with a flick of his razor across their neck. But not one man killed, nor ten thousands men can satisfy Sweeney's lust for revenge on those who've caused his years of pain. checkout Sweeney Todd Website You can also buy it through our Johnny Depp Store.

Johnny Wins 2008 Scream Awards

Spike TV announces winners of the 2008 Scream Awards. Johnny Won Scream Awards For Best Actor in a Horror Movie at the Scream Awards last night for "Sweeny Todd: Demon Barber of Fleet Street" which also also won an Award for Best Horror Movie. Tim Burton received the SCREAM IMMORTAL Award for his remarkably unique interpretation of horror and fantasy.

Blast From The Past - Ed Woods

In our fifth segment of Blast From The Past we introduce Ed Woods from 1994. The video features a look behind the scenes and interviews with Tim Burton The Cast & Screenwriters. To produce Ed Wood. Tim Burton began reading Nightmare of Ecstasy by Rudolph Grey, a full-length biography, which draws on interviews from Wood's family and colleagues. He also read some of Woods' letters and was intrigued by how Woods wrote his films as if he was making Citizen Kane, whereas other people perceived them as the worst movies ever. Screenwriters Alexander and Karaszewski wrote a 147-page script in six weeks, working 14-hour days, seven days a week and this got Burton interested in directing the film. The deciding factor for the filmmaker came when the studio wanted to make Mary Reilly sooner starring Julia Roberts instead of Winona Ryder so Burton decided to abandon the project to direct Ed Wood instead. Awards for the movie went mainly to Martin Landau for his performance as Bela Lugosi however, Johnny was nominated for a Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical and Won Best Actor from the London Critics Circle Film Awards. Ed Wood won a total 21 awards out of 32 Nominations. Watch Video

Blast From The Past - Ed Woods

Video showing a young Tim Burton and Johnny Depp during the making of Ed Woods

Dark Shadow Rumors

There seems to be rumors going around that Dark Shadows has been put on hold. EW published an article which i personally shrugged off because it read to me like an opinion by Steve Daly and not fact. However this story is popping up everywhere like it is fact. Shantaram has been noted as doubtful since Dec 2007 and was recently moved this month from Johnny's profile on IMBD, however Dark Shadows was just annouced to have Burton attached as Director in August this year. Here is the original article in full or you can get it direct from the source by clicking on the article title.

"Break Out the Eyeliner! Depp's Ready for 'Pirates 4'."

By Steve Daly

Walt Disney Co. keeps animatronic dummies of Johnny Depp, in character as Pirates of the Caribbean scalawag Capt. Jack Sparrow, whirring away every day at its theme parks. But last week, as part of an event in Hollywood to tout upcoming Disney movies, the studio briefly trotted out the real thing.

There in the flesh was Depp, bedecked in his now-iconic mascara and bandanna. ''This is for you,'' the actor appeared to mumble as he comically proffered a gun to Walt Disney Studios chairman Dick Cook, who quickly confirmed what's long been known at the Mouse House: Depp will return in a fourth Pirates movie. Spun off from the beloved Disneyland attraction, the initial three films quickly became a spectacularly potent cross-promotional tool. Now the company is looking for more loot from the billion-dollar franchise. (Never mind that a new script isn't ready yet, or that original trilogy director Gore Verbinski is busy developing a major Universal thriller, BioShock.) Says Walt Disney Studios production president Oren Aviv, ''When the second Pirates movie opened, there was a line for the ride stretching the entire Disneyland park.'' Indeed, the 45-year-old star seems more valuable to the company at this point than cartoon cornerstones like Mickey, Donald, and Goofy.

Unlike 'toon characters, however, top actors must be paid — and well. One report suggests Depp will net a whopping $55 million to redon his buccaneer duds. If that's even remotely accurate — Disney won't discuss money — it would put him well ahead of the likes of Will Smith and Tom Hanks for the title of Hollywood's best-paid actor. And the sequel is just part of an expanding Disney-Depp partnership. He's set to play Native American sidekick Tonto in a Jerry Bruckheimer-produced version of The Lone Ranger — though once again, there is no finished script, set of costars, or director in place. Next month, Depp begins yet a third Disney project, playing the Mad Hatter in Tim Burton's part-live-action, part-motion-capture, part-CG, and mostly 3-D version of Alice in Wonderland (due by March 2010). Burton has already wrapped 2-D live-action bookend footage on locations in England, with Mia Wasikowska of TV's In Treatment as Alice; Depp's role will be filmed mainly on West Coast soundstages.

It's amazing that Depp has been able to anchor corporatized blockbusters like these without being seen as a sellout. In fact, he never comes off as a shill; even when indirectly hawking products and rides, he maintains his edgy cool. And Disney isn't the only studio keeping him busy with mass-appeal tentpoles. For Universal, he's playing crime kingpin John Dillinger (opposite Christian Bale as the FBI agent who nails him) in Michael Mann's Public Enemies, out next summer.

So does this mean that Depp has abandoned the quirky fare that first made his name? Not entirely. He joined Colin Farrell and Jude Law to fill out Heath Ledger's shape-shifting role in Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, and next spring, he may make the Hunter S. Thompson opus The Rum Diary. But then there's Rango, a motion-capture CG feature to be made at George Lucas' ILM shop for Paramount. Due in March 2011, it will star a virtual version of Depp as a household pet. Between that film and his duties as Disney's de facto mascot, it sounds like Johnny Depp has, for the moment, been domesticated. But be careful: He's been known to bite. — with additional reporting by Nicole Sperling and John Young

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPP BY THE NUMBERS

It would be impossible to quantify the actor's unique talent. But everything else is fair game...

Number of movies on his résumé: 35
Number of Academy Award nominations: 3
Estimated number of tattoos: 13
Domestic gross of the Pirates franchise: $1B

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LEFT BEHIND

Two long-discussed Depp projects appear kaput for now: Shantaram, based on a novel about a heroin addict's adventures in India, and the movie version of the '60s vampire soap Dark Shadows, a childhood favorite of the actor's.


Do you think The Dark Shadows will ever be made?

Tim Burton Talks Alice And Johnny Depp

In an Article in The Los Angeles Times Geoff Boucher Talks with Tim Burton about his latest movie Alice In Wonderland and Talks about his Friend and muse Johnny Depp.

Geoff Boucher told Burton that it seems as if Depp (who has other upcoming roles as an Old West hero, a pirate and a vampire) approaches his acting choices the same way a gleeful kid rummages through a trunk of dress-up clothes. The filmmaker let out a loud laugh. "It's true. Yeah we have a big dress-up clothes trunk here. We take it with us wherever we go."

He also asked how he was able to persuade Depp to conjure up yet another enigmatic oddball? "He loves doing that. That's never a problem. He doesn't like to be the same way twice. That's good, it always keeps it fresh and all. And he likes the material we have here and he gets it. It's nice to have people involved that are fans of the material and all."
You can check out the full article @ The Los Angeles Times Website

Tim Burton will be at the Scream 2008 Awards at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, to receive The Immortal Award for his contribution to genres of fantasy, sci-fi and horror. If you haven't voted there is still time just follow this link

Johnny Depp - Sexiest Man In The World

Cosmopolitan Magazine's recent survey looking for The World’s Sexiest Men has been posted and guess who is at the top of the spot? Johnny Depp, okay, so tell us something we don't already know..... Well according to Cosmopolitan Johnny beat fellow fortysomethings George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Daniel Craig.... and no surprise there either.

For those of you who are interested in the list, here is the top ten.

1 Johnny Depp, 45
2 George Clooney, 47
3 Jake Gyllenhaal, 27
4 Daniel Craig, 40
5 Brad Pitt, 44
6 James McAvoy, 29
7 JustinTimberlake, 27
8 Will Smith, 40
9 David Beckham, 33
10 Wentworth Miller, 36

The full results of the survey can be seen in the November Issue of Cosmopolitan

Blast From The Past - Inside The Actors Studio

In our fourth segment of Blast From The Past we introduce Inside The Actors Studio with Johnny Depp. In one of only a handful of interviews Johnny Depp has ever granted, he brings both his fascinating eccentricity and his deep, uncompromising devotion to acting and sharing it with the students of the Actors Studio Drama School. It would seem odd to people who do not know Johnny Depp's work that he would get a career perspective so early in his life, but he has assembled an impressive resume. Highlights from the interview include Depp discussing his technique for finding his character. When reading the screenplay, he’ll often visualize a few key images that give him the essence of role. For example, for Depp, Ed Wood was a combination of the blind optimism of Ronald Reagan, the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz, and Casey Kasem. In Sleepy Hollow, Depp says he played Ichabod Crane as a girl detective. He also talks about how he got involved in the project Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas and how he lived with Hunter S. Thompson in order to portray him accurately. Inside The Actors Studio with Johnny Depp did not consist of the usual Hollywood fanfare type interview but instead left the students and viewer with more insight into acting than they could possibly hope to learn from the more popular Actors. Checkout a clip from the Interview

Inside Actors Studio - Johnny Depp

Clip From Inside The Actors Studio With Johnny Depp in 2002

Burtons Queens In Wonderland

Anne Hathaway, & Helena Bonham Carter have signed up for a role in "Alice in Wonderland," directed by Tim Burton. Helena plays the Red Queen, who has an affinity for crying out, "Off with their heads!" Hathaway will be playing the White Queen, a benevolent monarch who is deposed and banished by her sister. The movie, which also stars Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, and Mia Wasikowska as Alice will use a combination of live action and performance-capture technology to tell the classic Lewis Carroll story.

Shantaram - Johnny not playing Lindsay?

According to more Internet sources Johnny will not star in Shantaram..sources say that Russell Crowe will now play Lindsay. It seems he will still be involved as producer through his production company Infinitum Nihil. Back in July 18th we mentioned the interview with Jeff Taplin saying Johnny will not be in Shantaram so it looks like it could be true. As for Russel Crowe playing Lindsay well it is still here say as none of this has actually been any officila confirmation by Infinitum Nihil.

Rum Diary Update: as you know through recent posts Johnny has recently been in Mexico apparently scouting locations for The Rum Diary but it is debatable whether or not he still plans to star in this movie either. A quick look at IMBD shows both films have been removed from Johnny's profile so maybe the rumors are true...it could also be that he wants to keep it quiet for now.

Could just be rumors we shall have to wait and see...

Blast From The Past - Don't "Fuhgedaboudit"

In our third segment of Blast From The Past we introduce The Talking Tissue Box...yes I did say talking tissue box. An article published on the 3rd Dec 1997,
by By Martin A. Grove from The Hollywood reporter titled "Hollywood Report Yo, Don't Fuggedaboud Giving 'donnie' A Sniff".

According to the article Mandalay sent out a unique talking tissue boxes that play Johnny Depp's "fuhgedaboudit" speech in Donny Brasco every time they sneeze. Here is the article in full:

Deserving "Donnie": With the awards season in high gear, deserving films that opened early in the year face the challenge of competing for Golden Globe and Oscar nominations with new movies that have the advantage of being in today's media spotlight.

A case in point is Mandalay Entertainment's "Donnie Brasco," one of 1997's best-reviewed films, which opened via TriStar in late February. Directed by Mike Newell ("Four Weddings and a Funeral," "Enchanted April"), its producers are Mark Johnson, Barry Levinson, Louis DiGiaimo and Gail Mutrux. "Donnie," starring Al Pacino and Johnny Depp, was adapted by Paul Attanasio from the book "Donnie Brasco, My Undercover Life in the Mafia" by Joseph Pistone with Richard Woodley.

"We (first) saw this movie Sept. 6, 1996, and came out of the screening and had a long discussion with Mike Newell thinking the movie had elements that could qualify it for the 1996 Academy season," John Jacobs, Mandalay's worldwide marketing president, told me Tuesday. "But then we recognized that Mike had work to do, (like) going back to rescore the movie, (so opening to qualify) would put us on an incredibly fast track. We decided the best thing for the movie would be to release (it) in February of '97."

Today, he pointed out, "Donnie" "still stands as an excellent movie. The Academy system is like grading on a curve, because even though you have an excellent movie, it's a question of how it stands out among the other movies of the year. (We've been) talking to writers on the East Coast who are doing top 10 lists (who say), ' "Donnie Brasco" is on my top 10 list. Of the movies I reviewed this year, it's still one of my best-reviewed movies.' And you realize that maybe this movie has the chance -- as you saw (with) 'Fargo' a year ago -- to still be there at the end."

To remind media people about "Donnie," Mandalay recently sent out a unique talking tissue box featuring the movie's signature phrase -- "Fuggedaboudit." "We sat with (public relations consultant) Nancy Seltzer, who's working with us on this, and talked about what can we get in front of the writing community (to focus attention on 'Donnie')," Jacobs said.

Citing articles written last fall analyzing the year to date, Jacobs noted that "Donnie" was "clearly a contender. So we knew we were dealing with legitimate credentials. We weren't trying to hype a movie that didn't have some (support from the media). What we always had in the movie was that they (repeatedly) used the phrase 'fuggedaboudit.' We kept saying how can we turn 'fuggedaboudit' into 'Don't fuggedaboud us'?

"We did the normal brainstorming and (asked) could we make the speech in the movie where they explain 'fuggedaboudit' into some kind of sound chip that would get played and replayed? We said, well, in the winter, people have tissue boxes and they constantly have colds so they're constantly using them, etc. Eventually we found the chip, the box, the packaging, etc. and (decided this was) an honest enough idea that we could send it out without disrupting the integrity of the campaign. We knew we had to get something out there that said to people, 'Just go back and look at us one more time.' "

It would have been amusing seeing the Tissue Box unfortunatly after many hours of searching I was unable to find any images of the box so if any one out there has one of these boxes please send us a picture. For those of you who have not seen the movie you can also watch a clip with johnny describing "Forget About It".

Donnie Brasco - Forget About It

Johnny describing the meaning of Fuhgedaboudit.

Johnny Depp In Mexico

According to sources published 2nd October. Johnny Depp was in Mexico on Monday Scouting for locations. This was confirmed by Sarah Hoch Delong, founder of the Festival Expression in Short, that Johnny (Blue Cap) was there but did not give more details at the request of the producers. My thoughts moving towards The Rum Diary?


Expresión en Corto is a state-sponsored, non-profit, cultural event made possible by the state Government of Guanajuato. They offer a variety of screenings, workshops, conferences and activities at no cost to the public.

No Lone Ranger For George Clooney

According to Celeb TV George Clooney has denied reports that he will be taking the role of The Lone Ranger. The 47-year-old actor was rumored to play the masked crimefighter but according to other Internet sources Robert Downey Jr will be playing The Lone Ranger next to Johnny. I suppose we shall just have to continue with the rumors for now. I personally would have liked to see Clooney in that role.