Articles from February 2006



Johnny Depp on E! NEWS LIVE to promote IMAX release of DEEP SEA 3D

Johnny Depp appeared briefly on E! NEWS LIVE this weekend to promote the March 3rd IMAX release of Howard Hall’s DEEP SEA 3D, which he narrates with FINDING NEVERLAND co-star Kate Winslet. Johnny told E! NEWS LIVE, “On one of my snorkels, I was attacked by a reef shrimp. He jammed his claw into my index finger straight down to the bone, and I’ll never forget it.” To see a couple of Theresa’s screencaps from the interview, click HERE and HERE. Zone members can see the entire interview on our Video Clips forum. Thanks very much to Theresa for the video clip and screencaps!

DEEP SEA 3D is receiving rave reviews. E! NEWS LIVE calls the movie “a fantastic deep sea adventure,” and Sheri Linden of THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER writes, “the film is a dazzling experience. [. . .] Narrators Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet infuse the proceedings with a bit of playfulness. [. . .] DEEP SEA 3D is a glorious example of educational entertainment at its best.” To read the reviews in their entirety, and to see if DEEP SEA 3D is opening at your local IMAX theater, check the Zone’s News & Views forum.

BREAKING NEWS–a new picture of Johnny Depp in the Bahamas!

Who is that handsome shirtless pirate soaking up the Caribbean sun? That’s a brand new photo of Johnny Depp; thanks very much to emma for posting it on the Zone’s Recent Pics forum! There are apparently other photographs in the shoot; the New York Post (dated Saturday, Feb. 25) also carried two new photos of Johnny today, one of him wearing a white t-shirt and one shirtless. He is sporting the black-and-white Jolly Roger bandanna, jeans, and his customary necklaces and trinkets in all the pictures. For a full-length view of the dashing Mr. Depp, click HERE, but if you have a weak heart, we won’t answer for the consequences.

Captain Jack Sparrow captures the cover of April's TOTAL FILM!

“Swashbuckling, sea monsters and box office gold . . . Jack’s back to steal summer in PIRATES 2: DEAD MAN’S CHEST,” blares the cover of the April issue of UK’s TOTAL FILM. (To see a larger version of the cover, click HERE.) The magazine features a four-page article on DEAD MAN’S CHEST, including some publicity shots; a charming description of Johnny Depp’s appearance at the Disney corporate meeting, where he stole the show; and comments from Jerry Bruckheimer, Gore Verbinski, Keira Knightley and Johnny himself. Johnny’s remarks about the creation of Captain Jack will be very familiar to Deppheads, but the quotes from Jerry and Gore seem fresh. Gore tells TOTAL FILM, “I think Jack is the character Johnny Depp was born to play. He’s just a great meal that you want more of.”

You can read the entire article on the Zone’s News & Views forum, but be warned–there are some minor DEAD MAN’S CHEST plot spoilers. The Zone sends big bouquet of lilies and roses to In-too-Depp for scanning and posting the TOTAL FILM article; she has kindly excerpted the pictures separately, too!

Drink up, me hearties, it's a wrap! PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST completes shooting

It took nearly a year to get the first PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN sequel in the can, but writer Ted Elliott reports (via his Wordplayer site) that, at long last, DEAD MAN’S CHEST completed filming on February 7th at about 5:45 a.m., otherwise known as the crack of dawn. Ted adds that DMC filming concluded with two solid weeks of sunset-to-sunrise night shooting. That must have been brutally difficult for the cast and crew, so we salute them for having the courage and fortitude to follow orders and stay true in the face of danger and almost certain exhaustion . . . .

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN’S CHEST is due in theaters July 7th. We wish Gore Verbinski and his talented crew smooth sailing through the seas of post-production. Thanks to Gilbert’s Girl and gilly for posting the happy news!

Ted Elliot adds that PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 3 is “about one-third shot,” although he concedes that may be an optimistic estimate. In other PIRATES 3 news, don’t rule out Keith Richards’ participation just yet. The Rolling Stones just played a concert in Rio, and in an interview published in Rio’s La Nacion newspaper on February 18th, Keith said it is almost confirmed that he will be appearing in PIRATES 3. Keith expects to be filming in September. The Zone thanks emma for the news from Rio!

CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY and CORPSE BRIDE receive Saturn Award nominations

The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films has announced its nominations for the 32nd annual Saturn Awards, and both of Johnny Depp’s 2005 collaborations with director Tim Burton are among the nominees. CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY received a nomination as Best Fantasy Film of 2005, and CORPSE BRIDE was nominated as Best Animated Film. Other CATCF Saturn nominees include Freddie Highmore, whose performance as Charlie Bucket was recognized in the Best Performance by a Younger Actor category; Danny Elfman for Best Music; and Gabriella Pescucci for Best Costumes. Congratulations to all the nominees!

The Saturn Awards will be presented in Los Angeles on May 2, 2006. The Zone thanks DeepinDepp for posting the story on the News & Views forum; you can read a full list of Saturn Awards nominees HERE.

Share your memories of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson on the Zone today

The Zone fondly remembers Dr. Hunter S. Thompson on the first anniversary of his passing. A force like the Good Doctor can never really pass away; his energy continues to circulate in his brilliant writing, and in the ideas and memories we carry with us daily. Liz and DeppintheHeartofTexas will host a memorial thread on ONBC beginning at 3 p.m. EST. Please stop by and share your memories in the company of others who loved HST.

One way to mark Hunter’s anniversary is to read his work; another is to read remembrances by those who knew him well. Theresa has posted a message from Hunter’s widow, Anita Thompson, on the News & Views board; at ONBC, gilly shared Randy Ray’s interview with BREAKFAST WITH HUNTER filmmaker Wayne Ewing: “When you live next door to a living legend and you’re a filmmaker AND that man next door happens to be one of the greatest writers of the 20th Century . . . well then . . . get the camera and head out the front door,” writes Ray. Fortunately for us, that’s exactly what Wayne Ewing did.

Thanks very much to Liz, DITHOT, theresa and gilly, for helping us mark this day in a way suitable to Hunter’s indomitable spirit. Our hearts go out to Anita and Juan Thompson and Hunter’s legion of friends. If you would like to purchase a Gonzo lapel pin or a black T-shirt with the Gonzo emblem to wear in HST’s memory, they are available HERE.

Johnny Depp withdraws from THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY

Johnny Depp has withdrawn from the upcoming film THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY, according to producer Frank Marshall. Johnny was to play Elle France editor Jean-Dominique Bauby in the biopic; Bauby suffered a stroke at the age of 43 and was left completely paralyzed, except for his left eye. Nonetheless, Bauby managed to use his eye to blink out a haunting memoir which not only described how it felt to be trapped inside an unmoving body, but also included the journeys he took in his imagination. Julian Schnabel, who directed Johnny in BEFORE NIGHT FALLS, is set to direct THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY; a script by Ronald Harwood, who won an Oscar in 2003 for THE PIANIST, has been ready for nearly a year. Unfortunately the project fell victim to Johnny’s crowded schedule: “Everybody wants Johnny these days,” producer Marshall told entertainment reporter Louis B. Hobson. “We couldn’t hold him to the project, so we’re in the process of casting a French actor to fill the role. Johnny really wanted the role but he won’t be available for a couple of years, and we couldn’t wait.”

Thanks to emma for breaking the story on the Zone’s News & Views forum; you can read Marshall’s comments HERE. The next project for Johnny, when the third PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN movie is completed, is likely to be Peter Weir’s film of SHANTARAM; another project receiving a great deal of buzz recently is a film version of J.P. Donleavy’s classic Irish novel, THE GINGER MAN, to be directed by THE LIBERTINE’s Laurence Dunmore.

Yo ho! Here's the Zone's new PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST TRAILER gallery!

The Johnny Depp Zone celebrates its one-millionth visitor this week by adding a new PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN’S CHEST gallery–it it the last entry in our BY FILM section. We have tried our best to avoid any pictures that might contain major spoilers; if you have already seen the trailer, you will recognize all the images here. Most of the pictures are close-ups of Captain Jack’s incomparably expressive face. The photographs are screencaps made by sjc; we thank her very much for sharing her work! Thanks also to emma for sharing the POTC:DMC posters, and to theresa for her help in preparing the gallery.

To see the new gallery, click on the GALLERIES button above, select BY FILM, and click on the thumbnail of Captain Jack running; the gallery title is POTC: DEAD MAN’S CHEST TRAILER.

UK release of THE LIBERTINE DVD delayed to May 8, 2006

Gilbert’s Girl reports that the DVD release of Laurence Dunmore’s THE LIBERTINE has been postponed five weeks, from April 3, 2006 to May 8, 2006. No reason was given for the delay. UK residents will have to wait a bit longer to view Johnny Depp’s performance as the Earl of Rochester in the comfort of their own homes. North American Deppheads, meanwhile, are still awaiting the chance to see THE LIBERTINE in theaters. The Weinstein Co. is still promising a nationwide release of THE LIBERTINE on March 10th; we earnestly hope they keep that promise!

At this time, there is no DVD release of THE LIBERTINE scheduled for region 1. However, DeepinDepp reports that Amazon.com keeps a “waiting list” for films not yet available on DVD; this not only allows Amazon to notify potential customers when a requested film becomes available, but it also functions as an informal poll or petition. Amazon’s message says, “The studio is currently not producing this title, but to be notified when it is available, enter your e-mail address at right. You’ll also be voting for this release; we’ll let the studio know how many customers are waiting for this title.” To vote for THE LIBERTINE, click HERE. The Zone thanks Gilbert’s Girl and DeepinDepp for the updates.

"Lament of the Libertine"–some welcome humor for everyone still waiting to see THE LIBERTINE

Weinstein Company’s failure to release THE LIBERTINE, starring Johnny Depp as 17th century poet John Wilmot, second Earl of Rochester, has inspired a number of extraordinary responses from Zone members. The latest is Shadow’s witty verse satire entitled “Lament of the Libertine,” lavishly illustrated with Shadow’s own photoshop creations. In Shadow’s “Lament,” J. M. Barrie appears to counsel the frustrated Earl, who wonders why his movie hasn’t been released as promised. Here are the opening lines:

“It started in January while searching for news
Of his wondrous and gracious new movie reviews.
When what to his wondering eyes should appear
But a hole where his name should have shown up quite clear.
‘What is this?’ Wilmot cried, ‘where’s my Libertine ad?
Has the paper forgotten it? Have they all gone quite mad?’

The truth, John discovered in his subsequent search,
Was that American filmgoers had been left in the lurch . . . .”

We won’t leave you in the lurch–you can read “Lament of the Libertine” in its hilarious entirety on the Pit. Thanks, Shadow–we loved every line!

Tim Burton and Danny Elfman signing CORPSE BRIDE DVDs in Los Angeles on Valentine's Day!

Fans of director Tim Burton and composer Danny Elfman who live in the Los Angeles area have a wonderful opportunity tonight to see the talented duo in person! Tim and Danny will be celebrating the DVD release of their Oscar-nominated animated feature, TIM BURTON’S CORPSE BRIDE, with an autograph-signing party at Best Buy in Hollywood. The address of the store is 1015 La Brea Avenue, Hollywood, and the signing begins at 8:30 p.m. tonight, February 14th. Be there early to snag a good spot in line.

Thanks very much to KSmith and DeepinDepp for the news, and thanks to theresa for our thumbnail which shows Tim signing CORPSE BRIDE autographs at Saturday’s event in New York City. To see a larger picture of Tim, click HERE. A-pirates-life-for-me attended the New York City autograph signing and met Tim Burton; you can read her account of “one of the best days ever” and see her pictures of Tim on the Pit. Thanks, a-pirates-life-for-me!

Enjoy the Zone's new WHAT'S EATING GILBERT GRAPE gallery!

The Zone is delighted to announce that we have added WHAT’S EATING GILBERT GRAPE to the BY FILM division of our galleries. To view a selection of pictures from Lasse Hallstrom’s touching 1993 film, click on the GALLERIES button above, select BY FILM, and click on the picture of Johnny Depp as Gilbert Grape. Thanks very much to sleepy for sharing photos from her collection. Johnny may never have seen WHAT’S EATING GILBERT GRAPE, but his sensitive performance as Gilbert is a favorite of many Zoners.

"One of the greatest actors of all time:" J.P. Donleavy discusses Johnny Depp and THE GINGER MAN

Author J. P. Donleavy is suddenly everywhere in the press; not only is his 80th birthday approaching, but his first and best-known novel, the ribald classic THE GINGER MAN, is scheduled to be filmed at last, with Johnny Depp in the role of Sebastian Dangerfield. Donleavy told CIRCA Art Magazine about his delight at the choice, calling Johnny “one of the greatest actors of all time, like Gielgud or Olivier. In that class or better.” You can read the article, “Hollywood Beckons as Artist Donleavy Reaches 80,” HERE.

Donleavy has kept firm control of the film rights to his books, and resisted all offers to film THE GINGER MAN until now. “It’s come time now that THE GINGER MAN can be tackled,” the author told Ros Drinkwater in a recent interview in The Post. The upcoming movie will be directed by THE LIBERTINE’s Laurence Dunmore. Donleavy also spoke fondly of Johnny, whom he met recently in New York. “Mr. Depp is fascinating, amusing and highly intelligent company,” the author declared, confirming an opinion secretly held by many a Depp fan. “[D]uring a production meeting in my hotel room, he spotted a wooden board with a piece of paper clipped to it on the bed and he ran his fingers along its worn surface,” Donleavy told Ros Drinkwater. “‘My God, you use that do you?’ Yes, I said, I write all my pages on it longhand, the page clipped to the board. It’s fascinating, in 35 years he’s the first person to notice and comment on it. Mr Depp is something else.”

Deppheads who want to become better acquainted with extremely entertaining Mr. Donleavy can find Derek Speirs’s New York Times profile, “J.P. Donleavy Approaches 80 Anything but Gingerly,” on the News & Views forum and also on ONBC. You can see a larger photo of the author HERE. Thanks to emma, theresa, myfave, and sleepy for posting the Donleavy articles.

THE GINGER MAN is ONBC’s next book selection–Liz and DeppintheHeartofTexas will begin providing background tidbits in early March, with the full discussion of THE GINGER MAN set to begin April 3rd. Don’t miss it!

BREAKING NEWS–Tim Burton signing CORPSE BRIDE DVDs on Saturday in New York City!

Rising to the occasion, CORPSE BRIDE director Tim Burton will be signing copies of the newly-released DVD in Manhattan tomorrow–that’s Saturday, February 11th–at the Virgin Megastore at Union Square, 52 E. 14th St. at 4th Ave.,at 1 pm. To avoid any grave misunderstandings, we would recommend that Depp-Burton fans arrive early, since there is sure to be a long line! This is a marvelous opportunity for those in the New York area to meet Tim Burton face-to-face and get his autograph.

Pamela Skillings of Manhattan about.com includes the signing on her recommended list of pre-Valentine’s weekend activities: “Meet twisted genius and master storyteller Tim Burton at the Virgin Megastore in Union Square on Saturday, February 11. He’ll be signing DVDs of his Oscar-nominated animated film, THE CORPSE BRIDE. It’s the perfect gift for any slightly twisted Valentine.” Agreed! You can read Pamela Skillings’s full column HERE. Join the discussion on the Zone’s News & Views forum–and watch for reports from Zoners who attend the signing tomorrow. Thanks very much to DeepinDepp for breaking the news!

Congratulations to the Zone's 2006 Birthday Project Design Challenge winners!

As we announced last month, the Johnny Depp Zone is sponsoring a charitable project to support the Children’s Hospice as a way of honoring Johnny Depp on his upcoming birthday. In connection with the 2006 Birthday Project, we invited Zone members–and in at least two cases, their extremely talented daughters–to submit designs suitable for use on fundraising merchandise. The response from members was tremendous! We thank each talented Zone artist who submitted a design. You can see the designs HERE.

The Zone staff had an extremely difficult time selecting “winners” because we loved all the designs. As ACK explained in her announcement on the Birthday Project forum: “We finally settled on six main designs that we thought would look best on the merchandise while capturing the spirit of Johnny Depp, Children’s Hospice and the Zone.” We extend our congratulations and applause to bibi; ACK’s daughter Laura; dharma_bum; ibbi3, her daughter romy & carasun, who combined their talents on an entry; artistatheart; and catharsis. You can see their work HERE. On behalf of the Johnny Depp Zone and the Children’s Hospice, we give heartfelt thanks to all our artists for their support of the 2006 Birthday Project. We look forward to presenting their work on fundraising Tshirts, mugs, tote bags, and buttons–a great way to support the Hospice, honor Johnny, and make the world a better place.

TIM BURTON'S CORPSE BRIDE soars to #1 in DVD sales!

TIM BURTON’S CORPSE BRIDE is no stiff when it comes to DVD sales–the stop-motion animated film, featuring the voices of Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, soared to the top of the region 1 DVD sales chart in its first week of release. CORPSE BRIDE had plenty of competition, too: THE LEGEND OF ZORRO with Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta Jones, IN HER SHOES with Cameron Diaz, and a special edition of DUNE also debuted last week. That’s a second helping of good news for the gifted cast and crew of CORPSE BRIDE; they received an Oscar nomination as Best Animated Film last week, too. Thanks to sleepy for sharing the news!

Johnny Depp nominated for Kid's Choice Award as Favorite Movie Actor!

Johnny Depp received two nominations for the 2006 Nickelodeon Kid’s Choice awards; Johnny is nominated as Favorite Movie Actor for his performance as Willy Wonka in CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (which is nominated as Favorite Movie); Johnny also received a nomination as Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie for his work as Victor Van Dort in TIM BURTON’S CORPSE BRIDE. Alas, Johnny was prevented from scoring a nomination trifecta for his trio of films released in 2005 as the Kid’s Choice voters are all too young to see THE LIBERTINE.

The 19th Annual Nickelodeon Kid’s Choice Awards will be broadcast live from UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion on Saturday, April 1st, from 8:00-9:30 p.m. Eastern time (tape delayed to the West Coast), and will be seen in more than 200 million households. Jack Black will host this year’s show and will no doubt keep the proceedings perfectly in key with the April Fool’s Day holiday spirit–plenty of jokes and sight gags, and guests drenched in buckets of Nickelodeon’s signature green slime. Deppheads fondly remember last year’s Kid’s Choice Awards, when Johnny Depp was the surprise guest honored with a gloriously messy green sliming. You can see the evidence HERE and in the Zone’s GETTING SLIMED gallery.

The Zone thanks emma for breaking the story–a full list of Kid’s Choice nominees is posted on the News & Views forum.

Announcing the Zone's new ARIZONA DREAM gallery!

The Johnny Depp Zone is happy to announce a new addition to our galleries . . . a lovely selection of photos from one of Johnny’s least-seen films, 1993’s ARIZONA DREAM. Among the photos are rare behind-the-scenes shots of Johnny at work with director Emir Kusturica, whose improvisatory style is legendary. Johnny enjoyed his work with Kusturica so much, and admired the ARIZONA DREAM production staff so much, that he used many of them when he directed THE BRAVE, including the production designer and the director of photography. To view the new gallery, click on the GALLERIES button above, select BY FILM, and click on the ARIZONA DREAM thumbnail. Many thanks to sleepy for sharing her photos!

BREAKING NEWS–PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN:DEAD MAN'S CHEST commercial to air during the Superbowl

U.S. Deppheads have a reason to tune into the Superbowl on Sunday, even if the football matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks holds no interest for them: a 30-second commercial for PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN’S CHEST will air during the game! Yes, Disney spent $2.5 million for the opportunity to reach the game’s estimated 90 million viewers, and whet their appetites for the return of Captain Jack Sparrow. Most of the footage will be familiar to those who have already seen the longer trailer, but there are a few surprises, including Captain Jack saying, “Oh, bugger!” Thanks very much to Gilbert’s Girl for breaking the news, to sleepy for posting a link to the trailer, to theresa and Susanne for adding the Superbowl spot to our video library, and to tina_als_girl for the screencaps! You can see a larger version of our thumbnail HERE.

No truth to the rumor that Johnny Depp will film WUTHERING HEIGHTS with Angelina Jolie

Don’t believe the rumors circulating regarding a new film version of Emily Bronte’s classic novel WUTHERING HEIGHTS, supposedly starring Johnny Depp as Heathcliff and Angelina Jolie as Cathy. While the high-voltage pairing would be a studio president’s dream, Johnny’s publicist Robin Baum told UK reporter Clive White, “There is no truth [to the rumor]–thank you for checking.” You can read the details on the Zone’s News & Views forum; thanks very much to emma for posting the stories from the UK press. It is perhaps natural that Johnny’s name would come up in connection with Heathcliff, since he has often spoken of his love for the 1939 film of WUTHERING HEIGHTS, starring Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon. But that doesn’t mean Johnny is headed to Yorkshire any time in the near future. Sorry, Bronte fans . . . .