Articles from June 2007



Join us for the Zone's Movie Nights discussion of SLEEPY HOLLOW, beginning today!

The Johnny Depp Zone’s Movie Nights forum is hosting an informal discussion of Tim Burton’s 1999 film SLEEPY HOLLOW, in which Johnny plays Constable Ichabod Crane, sent to apply his “up-to-date scientific techniques” to an investigation of the mysterious crimes in the village of Sleepy Hollow, whose residents have been turning up with their heads “lopped off . . . clean as dandelions.” The skittish Ichabod is a Zone favorite; if you love SLEEPY HOLLOW, too, stop by the Movie Nights forum where we will be trading opinions about Johnny’s best scenes, and wondering whether Ichabod is a coward or a brave man. New questions will be added daily, so stop by often! –Part-Time Poet

Get your groove on–P's CD is re-released

The photo at left shows Johnny Depp on stage in Austin in 1993 for the debut performance of the band P, in which he played guitar. If you’ve always wanted to own a copy of P’s self-titled CD, originally released in November 1995, but you kept losing auctions on Ebay to Deppheads with deeper pockets, your search is over: the P CD has been re-released! Yes, it’s now available for $13.98 plus shipping on Amazon.com; to order a copy, click here: http://tinyurl.com/3xbkrd The frontman for P is Gibby Haynes of the Butthole Surfers, whom Johnny met while in Texas shooting WHAT’S EATING GILBERT GRAPE; other band members include Johnny’s longtime friends Bill Carter and Sal Jenco, with musical contributions from Flea, the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ bassist, and Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols.

Thanks to sleepy for the news! You can read a lively discussion of P’s music on the Zone’s News & Views forum. –Part-Time Poet

Johnny Depp photographs–a new set of Sleepy's Specials!

We have updated Sleepy’s Specials with a selection of beautiful photos from Johnny Depp’s most recent public appearances, as well as some favorite vintage shots that show Johnny’s various looks over the course of his career. You’ll find pictures from the Disneyland premiere of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD’S END; Johnny’s recent trip to Tokyo for the AWE premiere there; his most recent photo shoot for Rolling Stone; and his appearance at the MTV Movie Awards. We also have several favorite stills of Johnny as Captain Jack Sparrow in AT WORLD’S END, and a photo of him in costume as Sweeney Todd. Thanks very much to sleepy, bonnie, AnaMaria, and Theresa for their contributions to this collection! To see the new Specials, click on the button at the top of the home page. –Part-Time Poet

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END moves up the all-time box-office charts

Continuing its very strong performance overseas, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD’S END passed by FINDING NEMO this weekend to become Disney’s second-best box office performer ever, second only to last summer’s PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN’S CHEST. Internationally, AT WORLD’S END has earned $584.6 million, placing it seventh on the all-time list in that category. Combined with its domestic earnings, AT WORLD’S END now has a worldwide box office gross of $871.6 million–twelfth on the all-time list and climbing. Thanks to emma for the box office update; all the latest box office statistics are on the News & Views forum. Congratulations to Disney, Jerry Bruckheimer, Gore Verbinski, and their marvelous pirates on the achievements of AT WORLD’S END! –Part-Time Poet

The Zone's 2007 Birthday Project raises more than $3,300!

Here’s a quick update on the Zone’s 2007 Birthday Project in support of Great Ormond Street Hospital: we are happy to announce that donations have now reached $3,300! We are very proud (as always) of the kindness and generosity of the Johnny Depp Zone’s members. We would also like to thank the site’s visitors and readers of this home page for their donations–thank you so much for joining with us to help the hospital, comfort sick children and their families, and say “Happy Birthday” to Johnny Depp, a man of whom we are more than a wee bit fond.

Great Ormond Street Hospital is one of the leading children’s hospitals in the world, treating more than 90,000 children each year and specializing in the most complex cases and life-threatening conditions. The hospital is linked with Johnny, not just because of his long interest in assisting children’s charities, but because J. M. Barrie donated all the royalties from his masterwork PETER PAN to the Great Ormond Street Hospital. Of course Johnny immortalized J. M. Barrie onscreen in the 2004 Oscar-nominated film FINDING NEVERLAND.

To read more about the Zone’s 2007 Birthday Project or to make a donation to our charity campaign for Great Ormond Street Hospital, click here: http://tinyurl.com/2ptlh4 . We will be accepting donations throughout the month of June. –Part-Time Poet

TV ALERT–Johnny Depp's 2006 appearance on THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN re-airs tonight, Thursday June 21st!

If you are suffering serious Johnny Depp withdrawal now that the promotion for PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD’S END is over, you can catch one of Johnny’s best interviews tonight on CBS as THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN re-airs Johnny’s visit from last July. Here is your chance to hear once again Johnny’s delightful tale of how he reacted when 20thCentury-Fox studios put a giant billboard of himself as Officer Tom Hanson on their lot on Pico Boulevard in the early days of 21 JUMP STREET.

The fledgling Fox network was proud to have a bona fide hit, but the fledgling actor was not as thrilled with the promotion. “There was a massive billboard of me with a gun,” Johnny explains, “with a slogan that said, ‘Other kids pack lunch.’ I knew right away that something had to be done about it. [. . .] I thought the gun was bad news, and I thought my mug up there was worse.” So what did Johnny do? “I commandeered a friend of mine, and we went to a hardware store and bought some paint.” You can hear the rest of the story tonight with Dave . . . many thanks to THE LATE SHOW for re-airing this great episode; it rare for them to dig so deep into their vault. Thanks also to myfave for posting the news on the Zone! Here are a couple of pictures from last July’s show to jog your memory: http://tinyurl.com/2wnhwx and http://tinyurl.com/2qxt6b –Part-Time Poet

Infinitum Nihil production news–Veteran director Peter Medak will helm INAMORATA

The Hollywood Reporter today confirmed that veteran director Peter Medak “is attached to direct INAMORATA for Initial Entertainment and Infinitum Nihil.” Longtime Zoners will recall that Infinitum Nihil (Johnny Depp’s production company) bought the rights to Joseph Gangemi’s novel INAMORATA in 2004; the novelist delivered a screenplay; and last December the trades reported that Infinitum Nihil and Initial Entertainment were “in talks” with Medak to direct. Peter Medak has a distinguished resume that encompasses both film (ROMEO IS BLEEDING, PONTIAC MOON) and television (HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET, LAW AND ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS’ UNIT, THE WIRE, CARNIVALE, HOUSE M.D.). The story of INAMORATA takes place in Philadelphia in the 1920s; it concerns a Harvard grad student who falls in love with a beautiful psychic whom he is attempting to discredit as a fraud.

Thanks to DeepinDepp who posted the Hollywood Reporter article on the Porch; we are happy to see that INAMORATA continues to move toward production. –Part-Time Poet

Johnny Depp on cover of Forbes Magazine's "Celebrity 100" issue

Johnny Depp is front-and-center in a cluster of A-listers on the cover of the newest Forbes Magazine; Johnny ranks sixth on the “Celebrity 100,” Forbes’ annual list of “the world’s most powerful–and best-paid–celebrities.” Johnny’s ranking is based on the success of last year’s box office champion, DEAD MAN’S CHEST. “Thanks to his share in the box office gross of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN’S CHEST, actor Johnny Depp made $92 million in the last 12 months,” claims Forbes, “more than most any other actor has ever earned for a film role.”

Impressive . . . however, the Forbes rankings are also a bit misleading, since the “Celebrity 100” is interested in precisely that: celebrity. Magazine covers, column inches of print and radio/TV mentions all build a celebrity’s ranking, regardless of whether the celebrity has won an Oscar or been arrested for DUI. Here is Forbes’ explanation of how they generate their list: “Forbes analyzes celebrity earnings, plus media metrics like Google hits, press mentions as compiled by Lexis/Nexis, TV/radio mentions from Factiva and the number of times an A-lister appears on the cover of 32 major consumer magazines.” Forbes’ reason for ranking Brad Pitt one spot above Johnny on the list explains their reasoning very succinctly: “Brad Pitt [. . .] virtually hijacked the headlines with his hotter half and their new brood.” Ah–so it’s about headlines. Thanks for clearing that up, Forbes . . . .

The Zone thanks Mrs Pink, RumLover, DeepinDepp and MyManDepp for reporting the story on the Zone’s News & Views forum. Congratulations, Johnny! –Part-Time Poet

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END reaches $500 million in international box office, breaks SPIDERMAN 3's record

Hats off to Jerry Bruckheimer, Gore Verbinski, Johnny Depp and all their company–PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD’S END has crossed the $500 million mark in international box office in only 20 days of release, shattering the previous record, set by SPIDERMAN 3, by a full week! That’s amazing! Variety reports that AT WORLD’S END became the 15th film in history to make half a billion dollars internationally, setting the record on Tuesday. AT WORLD’S END has been a powerhouse abroad–“foreign markets [are] supplying two of every three dollars of its worldwide total,” notes Variety.

On Tuesday, AT WORLD’S END opened in China with an impressive $1.3 million, a record for the Disney studios in that market. At the end of the day, AT WORLD’S END had clinched its international record, fastest to $500 million internationally, with a foreign total of $505.6 million. Combined with its North American box office gross of $257.7 million through Tuesday, AT WORLD’S END’s worldwide gross rose to $763 million–21st highest of all time, and climbing. Congratulations!

The Zone thanks Shadow for the report from Variety–you can keep track of all the latest developments on the “Box Office Updates” thread on the News & Views forum. –Part-Time Poet

See Geoffrey Rush interview on AWE and Johnny Depp–AMC Wednesday at 7 am

“He’s a great character actor who happens to also be a leading man”–that’s Geoffrey Rush’s assessment of his co-star Johnny Depp, offered to host Peter Guber on AMC’s SUNDAY MORNING SHOOTOUT. Mr. Rush, witty and eloquent as always, was the guest on Sunday’s edition (June 10th)–the program repeats today, Wednesday June 13th, at 7 am Eastern, and is highly recommended. The Oscar-winning actor discusses the filming of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD’S END, in which he plays the scheming Captain Hector Barbossa; he spends a significant portion of the interview discussing Johnny Depp and Johnny’s approach to film acting.

Geoffrey Rush calls Johnny “the best there is;” as proof, he points not only to the excellence of Johnny’s performances but also the range of his roles. “It’s very hard-pressed throughout all of Hollywood history to find someone of that diversity,” Mr. Rush tells Peter Guber. “It’s the kind of diversity you expect, let’s say, in the old days from the great knights of the theater, where Olivier would be Richard III and then he’d be the dentist in MARATHON MAN. Pretty impressive stuff!”

You can see a brief clip of Geoffrey’s interview on the AMC website here: http://tinyurl.com/ynnpqg Many thanks to FANtasticJD for sharing the news! –Part-Time Poet

Official website for SWEENEY TODD, starring Johnny Depp, comes online

Deppheads who are eagerly awaiting the release of Tim Burton’s film of the Stephen Sondheim musical SWEENEY TODD, starring Johnny Depp as the demon barber of Fleet Street, may wish to register for updates at the official movie website here: http://www.sweeneytoddmovie.com/ Currently the site shows a simple movie poster, but it promises more “Coming Soon.” We can’t wait! Thanks to Kimmie for the site news . . . .

Hollywood columnist Army Archerd reports that Warner Bros. producer Richard Zanuck has returned from London now that SWEENEY TODD has finished shooting . . . and despite some rumblings in the press about “production delays,” Archerd hears from Mr. Zanuck that SWEENEY TODD was “completed and brought in for an economical (these days) $50 million” and was “directed by Tim Burton in 50 days.” A remarkable achievement–hats off to Tim and everyone who worked on the film! Adds Archerd, “Zanuck enthused about the terrif changes for both Johnny Depp and [Sacha Baron] Cohen in their roles with music.” SWEENEY TODD will have an Oscar-qualifying run in the U. S. in the final week of 2007, and then goes into wide release next January. Thanks to emma for the Archerd article; you can read the full story on the Zone’s News & Views forum. –Part-Time Poet

Happy Birthday wishes to Johnny Depp!

It’s June 9th, Johnny Depp’s birthday, so the members of the Johnny Depp Zone send all best wishes and love to the man himself–we hope the coming year will bring good health and happiness to Johnny and his loved ones, and plenty of career satisfaction as well. Johnny’s birthday is a holiday on the Zone, so there are birthday threads everywhere, looking back fondly over Johnny’s career and assessing what his work has meant to us. Those who wish to salute Johnny in a tangible way are welcome to contribute to the 2007 Birthday Project in Johnny’s honor; we are accepting donations throughout the month of June for the Great Ormond Street Hospital. You can read more about the 2007 Birthday Project here: http://tinyurl.com/2ptlh4

Since AT WORLD’S END is currently playing in theaters, many Zoners are headed to the multiplexes today to celebrate Johnny’s birthday by watching him on screen. We thank Johnny Depp for having given us so many reasons to celebrate over the past twenty-odd years. May the joy he has brought to our lives return to him in a constant wave of blessing. –Part-Time Poet

Vanessa Paradis releases a new single, "Divine Idylle"

Congratulations to Vanessa Paradis, Johnny Depp’s long-time partner, whose new single “Divine Idylle” was released in France today, June 7th! This is the first music we have heard from Vanessa’s much-anticipated new album; called DIVINIDYLLE, the CD will drop on September 3rd. Vanessa will be touring France in support of her album from mid-October through mid-December; more than 20 concert dates have been announced, including three nights at the Zenith in Paris on November 13th, 14th, and 15th. For more information on Vanessa’s new music and her upcoming tour, check the official website, http://www.vanessaparadis.fr/ For information in English, we recommend the excellent fansite www.vanessaparadis.info which has all the latest news on Vanessa and a separate forum on their message boards dedicated to DIVINIDYLLE and the upcoming tour. –Part-Time Poet

More Pirates! PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST wins Best Movie at the MTV Movie Awards!

That’s POTC producer Jerry Bruckheimer hugging his star Johnny Depp at the 2007 MTV Movie Awards as they accept the biggest award of the night–Best Movie–for PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN’S CHEST. DMC emerged victorious in an eclectic field that included 300, BLADES OF GLORY, BORAT, and LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE. Mr. Bruckheimer took no credit for his vision in championing the POTC films, choosing instead to thank the “fantastic” MTV viewers, “the people at Disney” and his director, Gore Verbinski. Then, gesturing towards Johnny who stood behind him, the producer added his thanks to “this man standing right over here–this is the man who did it all, Johnny Depp . . . without him, we wouldn’t be here.”

Then Mr. Bruckheimer turned the microphone over to Johnny. “There’s so many people to thank, and once again, I’m not so great at this,” Johnny said apologetically. “I’d like to thank this man and Disney for not firing me, first!” As Jerry Bruckheimer chuckled, Johnny confided, “Because they were teetering on that for a while . . . .”

Continuing with his thank yous, Johnny thanked “the writers, Ted and Terry, who did an amazing job . . . Gore Verbinski, of course, and our amazing crew . . . .” Then, ducking his head like a shy man who had been in the spotlight a bit too long, Johnny looked out at the audience and held out the Golden Popcorn trophy. “Want some popcorn?” As the audience roared its appreciation, the actor and the producer both called out “Thank you very much!” and walked off-stage, bringing the awards show to an end. Nobody could follow that double act.

Many thanks to all the Zoners who contributed to the MTV Movie Awards thread, to Susanne for the video clip, and to bonnie for the picture of Johnny and Jerry at the podium. To see a larger version of the picture, click here: http://tinyurl.com/2qdtyr Thanks also to all the Depp fans who voted in the MTV Movie Awards polls–the happy event tonight, the chance to see Johnny Depp live on stage, was a gift from all of you, and we are very grateful for your nimble fingers and your good taste.

Congratulations to the talented men and women who made DEAD MAN’S CHEST–cheers to you! –Part-Time Poet

Pass the popcorn! Johnny Depp wins "Best Performance" for Captain Jack Sparrow in DEAD MAN'S CHEST at the MTV Movie Awards!

That’s a brand new picture of Johnny Depp, smiling modestly as he claims the Golden Popcorn Award for Best Performance at the 2007 MTV Movie Awards for his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN’S CHEST. The category does not discriminate between male and female actors, so Johnny’s competition included co-star Keira Knightley and a pair of DREAMGIRLS, Jennifer Hudson and Beyonce Knowles, as well as Gerard Butler from 300 and Will Smith from THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS. Johnny received a prolonged standing ovation from a wildly cheering crowd when his name was announced and he stepped in from the wings to walk to the podium, and it was nearly a minute before he could make his first “Thank you” heard over the roar.

“Thank you so much . . . I’m not very good at this kind of thing, you know,” Johnny told the crowd. “I’d just like to say thank you to all you guys–thanks so much for voting. It’s such an amazing group of people to be in the same category with,” Johnny added, acknowledging the other nominees. “I’m deeply touched.”

You can read all about the MTV Movie Awards, which were broadcast live tonight, Sunday June 3rd, on the Zone’s News & Views forum. Many thanks to all the Zoners on the East coast who gave us a play-by-play of the awards show and let us know the instant Johnny won, and a special bouquet to bonnie for sharing the photo of Johnny. To see a larger picture, click here: http://tinyurl.com/yroft2 –Part-Time Poet

New Johnny Depp photo in PEOPLE Magazine this week!

The new issue of PEOPLE Magazine–issue date June 11, 2007 with Lindsay Lohan on the cover–has a photo of Johnny clowning with Orlando Bloom at the Tokyo premiere of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD’S END. The photo, shown at left, is in the Star Tracks section on page 22. If you would like to see a larger version of the picture, click here: http://tinyurl.com/32q36q or check the thread on the Zone’s News & Views forum. Thanks to deppink for the photo! –Part-Time Poet

Announcing the Johnny Depp Zone's 2007 Birthday Project in support of Great Ormond Street Hospital!

The Johnny Depp Zone will be celebrating Johnny’s birthday throughout the entire month of June with a charity campaign in his honor. The 2007 Birthday Project will collect donations for the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. If that name sounds familiar to you, it should! GOSH is one of the leading children’s hospitals in the world, treating more than 90,000 children each year and specializing in the most complex cases and life-threatening conditions. Perhaps you remember that J. M. Barrie donated all the royalties from his masterwork PETER PAN to the Great Ormond Street Hospital; many of us became aware of that when Johnny Depp played Barrie in the 2004 Oscar-nominated film FINDING NEVERLAND. In fact, the film’s U.K. premiere was a fundraiser for the hospital.

Last March, Johnny’s life path once again intersected with the Great Ormond Street Hospital in a most unexpected and personal way when his daughter Lily-Rose was treated there for a serious illness. During press interviews for AT WORLD’S END, Johnny paid tribute to the hospital and its caring staff. Lily-Rose’s illness “was the most frightening thing we have ever been through,” Johnny told reporter Ian Nathan in an interview published in LIVE on May 19th. “But the magic is that she pulled through perfectly, beautifully. Great Ormond Street were terrific, such a great hospital.”

To read more about the Zone’s 2007 Birthday Project or to make a donation to our charity campaign for GOSH, click here: http://tinyurl.com/2ptlh4 To read more about Great Ormond Street Hospital, click here: http://www.gosh.org/redevelopment/index.htm Many thanks to all the Zoners who have expressed their support for this project; we are very excited to be giving Johnny a birthday gift that will help children. –Part-Time Poet