JohnnyDepp-Zone.com

Asked to comment on his Golden Globe nomination as Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy for SWEENEY TODD, Johnny Depp said he was “super-flattered and immensely thankful,” reports People.com. “What an honor to even be mentioned alongside such a talented bunch.” Referring to SWEENEY TODD’s other Golden Globe nominations for Best Director, Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy, and Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy, Johnny said he is “[v]ery excited for Tim and Helena and the film!”

Tim Burton’s reaction mirrored Johnny’s: “It’s a great honor to receive this nomination from the HFPA,” Burton said. “I couldn’t be more thrilled for Johnny, Helena and the film.” Said Helena Bonham Carter, due to give birth any day now, “I’m very happy! I am fairly globular at the moment as I am about to have a baby. Tim wants to paint my belly gold!” Added the actress, with her usual candor, “It’s just nice to get some praise. Anything to get through the contractions.”

SWEENEY TODD producer Richard Zanuck told Variety how delighted he was with SWEENEY TODD’s awards nominations: “You can’t get enough of this recognition. I’m very proud of this picture. It’s so unique and was so unlikely to be made as a movie,” Zanuck said. “I’m especially thrilled for Tim, whose vision encompassed this entire endeavour. He’s wanted to make this movie for over 20 years and this is a great tribute to his passion and hard work.”

The Zone thanks Joni, Theresa, and Emma for sharing stories on the Golden Globes nominations–you can read all the comments on the News & Views forum. –Part-Time Poet

In an article called “The Artistic Mayhem of Depp & Burton,” USA TODAY’s Susan Wloszczyna focuses as much on the friendship between Johnny and Tim as she does on the upcoming release of SWEENEY TODD. “Their collaboration on SWEENEY TODD mirrors their past efforts–and reflects their deep bond,” Wloszczyna writes in the December 14th issue. “Like a mad scientist and his monstrously talented creation, Burton, 49, and Depp, 44, have a kind of psychic bond that results in sometimes-bizarre notions that still manage to connect with the mainstream public.”

One such notion is Tim’s choice to film the Sondheim musical in the style of silent films. “We took cues from silent movies,” Burton says. “When Johnny walks into that barbershop, you just see the pain in his eyes. I find he doesn’t have to say anything. It’s an acting style you don’t really see anymore.”

As for their 17-year friendship and six film collaborations, Burton explains, rather vaguely, “We’ve been lucky to usually be on the same wavelength and like similar kinds of things.” Helena Bonham Carter tells Wloszczyna that the men “are very like each other. Chosen brothers elected by each other. They have the same sense of humor and share a deep respect. [. . .] They are both introverts, but very flamboyant when it comes to their work. That is their release. They are rebels, anti-authoritarian. They are very age 7 in their sense of humor.”

And will SWEENEY TODD be too dark and troubling to be a successful holiday movie? Not at all, says Tim Burton: “You leave the theater thinking your life isn’t so awful, so it’s a time of hope. You know, ‘My family isn’t so rotten after all. That turkey wasn’t so bad.’ ” Adds Wloszczyna, “Besides, we know someone who could carve that bird to perfection.”

Many thanks to Theresa for sharing the USA TODAY article–you can read it in full on the Zone’s News & Views forum. The lovely photos of Johnny and Tim are by Todd Plitt: to see a larger view of the picture at left, click here: http://tinyurl.com/28mas7 and to see a different photo, click here: http://tinyurl.com/23xdde –Part-Time Poet