Johnny Depp and his co-star in The Tourist, Angelina Jolie, topped the annual poll of Motion Picture Exhibitors, the Independent reports. Theater owners and film buyers consider Johnny Depp responsible for more traffic to movie theaters than any other actor in 2010, thanks to his performances in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, the second highest-grossing film of the year, and Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s The Tourist, currently in worldwide release. Quigley Publishing Company has conducted the poll of Motion Picture Exhibitors for 79 years; the 2010 poll marked the third time that Johnny was voted the top money-making star of the year.

The top ten stars who generated the most box office revenue in 2010 are, in order of ranking, Johnny Depp; Angelina Jolie; Robert Downey, Jr.; Matt Damon; Steve Carrell; Tom Hanks; Denzel Washington; Leonardo DiCaprio; George Clooney; and Anne Hathaway.

To read the article in The Independent, CLICK HERE.

The Zone congratulates Johnny Depp — thanks for giving us a reason to go to the movies!

In a delightful behind-the-scenes video for Gore Verbinski’s first animated film, Rango, Johnny Depp and members of the voice cast describe what it was like to be able to work together and act out their parts — something rarely done for an animated feature. “It just gives a bunch of grownups an opportunity to be silly,” Johnny said, laughing. However, a split screen that displays the actors and their animated alter egos –and the amazing resemblance between them — shows the clever method that underlies the apparent madness.

“Rango is a lizard attempting to adapt to his surroundings,” Johnny explained. “He’s trying to figure out what he’s supposed to be — like most of us in life.” Rango takes up residence as the new sheriff in a corrupt desert town, which results in danger and hilarity. “It’s certainly like nothing I’ve ever done before, or any of us have ever done before. Instead of motion-capture,” Johnny said, “it’s kind of emotion-capture, using the actors as a reference for the motion of the animated character.”

Bill Nighy, who plays the villain Rattlesnake Jake, also enjoyed Verbinski’s method of shooting the film. “You raise your game, because you’re working with other people,” Nighy said. “It’s more of a natural acting experience.”

To see a larger version of the screencap of Johnny Depp from the Rango interview, CLICK HERE, and to see a screencap of Johnny performing as Rango, CLICK HERE. The Zone thanks AnaMaria for sharing her screencaps with us.

If you haven’t seen the Rango behind-the-scenes video, or you would like to view it again, it’s available on Yahoo!Movies HERE. Rango arrives in movie theaters on March 4, 2011.

Merry Christmas to all! Journalist Ruben V. Nepales of the Philippine Daily Inquirer interviewed Johnny Depp during the recent promotion for The Tourist, and asked about the actor’s favorite role — devoted Dad. When Christmas comes around, Johnny finds himself in similar circumstances to parents everywhere. Regarding his son’s Christmas wishes, Johnny told the reporter, “My boy, Jack, who’s now 8, once wrote his Christmas wish list to Santa, ‘I want this, I want that . . . . ‘ On the back of the sheet, he wrote, in enormous letters, ‘NO CLOTHES!’ I have to frame that one.”

As for his daughter’s Christmas list, Johnny disclosed, “My daughter Lily Rose, who’s 11, is incredibly sophisticated. Barbies are way down her list now. What are on her wish list are these fashion-y type things.” Added Johnny, “The tradition that my kids are very interested in is opening presents. They’re chomping at the bit right now.”

The Zone thanks Theresa for sharing the Nepales interview; you can read more on the Zone’s News & Views forum.

We send heartfelt wishes for a Merry Christmas and all the joys of the season to Johnny Depp and his family, to the wonderful working fraternity that surrounds him, and to Zoners around the world.

Hats off to Entertainment Tonight’s programmers — they have offered some excellent Johnny Depp coverage recently, and will continue their hot streak by airing a segment on “The Making of Rango” on Thursday, December 23rd! Rango stars Johnny Depp as a chameleon who becomes the sheriff of a tiny southwestern town; the outstanding voice cast also includes Isla Fisher, Abigail Breslin, Alfred Molina, Ned Beatty, and Bill Nighy.The 20-second promotional clip that aired on ET on Wednesday night showed hilarious footage of the voice cast for Gore Verbinski’s film rehearsing together — a rarity for animated films — and actually performing the scenes. Don’t miss this holiday treat!

Entertainment Tonight is a syndicated program; check ETonline.com to find the time and channel in your area (U.S. only, sorry). Scroll to the bottom of the page where it says “ET on TV Show Finder,” and enter your zip code to find your local broadcast.

Rango has a new poster, too — you can see it HERE. The lovable chameleon and the other denizens of Dirt will be in movie theaters on March 4, 2011.

The Zone thanks RumLover for the news on the Entertainment Tonight segment, and FANtasticJD for sharing the poster.

Johnny Depp spent the weekend in Miami, Florida, enjoying time with his family. Johnny attended the Miami Dolphins football game at Sun Life Stadium on Sunday, December 19th, with Vanessa Paradis and their children, and security chief Jerry Judge. The previous evening, Saturday, December 18th, Johnny was spotted backstage at Miami’s American Airlines Arena at the Justin Bieber concert with Lily-Rose and Jack; Bieber even mentioned his famous guest during the concert, which must score extra points on the Cool Dad Meter.

The photo at left shows Johnny outside Sun Life Stadium at the Dolphins game; to see a larger version, CLICK HERE. To see a photo of Johnny inside the stadium, with the crowd in the background, CLICK HERE, and to see him signing an autograph, CLICK HERE. That’s Jerry Judge directly behind Johnny. We haven’t seen any photographs of Johnny with Justin Bieber, but you can see Johnny posing with a fan at the concert HERE. Singer-songwriter Avery has also posted a photo of herself with Johnny on her Facebook page; you can see the photo (taken backstage at the Bieber concert) HERE.

The Zone thanks Emma, Sams Sweetheart, and Theresa for sharing the news. Photos of Johnny in Miami are also available at Just Jared and Accidental Sexiness.

Entertainment Tonight has a special Christmas gift in store for Johnny Depp fans tonight, so set your DVRs! The show promises to air outtakes from The Tourist featuring Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie “giggling like children” . . . and the bit of footage aired in the promotional spot could not have been more charming. If you enjoy bloopers, tonight (Monday, December 20) is your lucky night! Since Entertainment Tonight is syndicated, check ETonline.com to find the time and channel in your area (U.S. only, sorry). Scroll to the bottom of the page where it says “ET on TV Show Finder,” and enter your zip code to find your local broadcast.

The Zone thanks Twinkle for sharing the news. What fun!

The photo at left shows a dapper Johnny Depp — all in black — as he arrived at the premiere of the The Tourist in Rome on December 15th. To see a larger version of that photo, CLICK HERE. For a photo of Johnny smiling, CLICK HERE, and for a photo of Johnny standing next to his (very tall) director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, CLICK HERE. Earlier in the day, a more casually dressed Johnny attended a photocall and press conference for The Tourist. To see a portrait of Johnny at the photocall, CLICK HERE, and for a full-length view, CLICK HERE.

Many thanks to Joni, FANtasticJD, Theresa, AnaMaria, and In-too-Depp for sharing photos from Rome. You can read more about The Tourist and its many European premieres on the Zone’s News & Views forum; there is a good selection of photos at JustJared.

The photo at left shows Johnny Depp tipping his hat to members of the press in Berlin during a news conference on December 14th to promote his most recent film, The Tourist. Johnny and his co-star, Angelina Jolie, received Best Actor and Best Actress Golden Globe nominations for the film, and The Tourist was nominated as Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical. Johnny was also nominated as Best Actor – Comedy or Musical for his role as The Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland. When asked about the Golden Globe nominations, Johnny replied: “It’s always very sweet and very nice to be acknowledged for your work. I certainly didn’t expect two nominations in the same category . . . but if that’s what they saw, then I guess that’s what they saw. I know I am very touched.”

Angelina Jolie was delighted to receive her first-ever nomination in the Comedy or Musical category (she has two previous Best Actress nominations in the Drama category, and won the Globe for Best Supporting Actress for Girl, Interrupted in 2000). “[Y]ou work hard on something, and you do a film that you love, and you never know how it will be responded to,” she told the press in Berlin. “[. . . T]o be acknowledged in that way is obviously an honor, and very, very nice.”

The photos from Berlin are also very, very nice! To see a larger version of the picture of Johnny tipping his hat, CLICK HERE. To see another portrait of Johnny Depp, CLICK HERE, and to see a picture of Johnny and Angelina at the press conference, CLICK HERE. The Zone thanks our members who shared photos and Emma for the press conference news; you can read more about the Berlin premiere of The Tourist on the Zone’s News & Views forum. You’ll find a lively discussion of the premiere photos on the Pit General Discussion forum.

Double congratulations go to Johnny Depp, who this morning received two nominations for Best Peformance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s for their Golden Globe Awards. Johnny was nominated for his roles as the Mad Hatter in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland and Frank Tupelo in The Tourist. Outstanding! Johnny’s co-star Angelina Jolie received a Best Actress nomination for her role in The Tourist. Both The Tourist and Alice in Wonderland were nominated as Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical; Danny Elfman’s score for Alice also received a Golden Globe nomination.

These are Johnny Depp’s 9th and 10th Best Actor Golden Globe nominations; he won Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical at the 2008 awards for his performance in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

Congratulations to all the nominees! The Golden Globes will be broadcast live from the Beverly Hilton Hotel on NBC on Sunday, January 16, 2011, beginning at 5 p.m. Eastern time.

The Zone thanks Intodadepps for breaking the news. You can read much more about the Golden Globes on the Zone’s News & Views forum.

Another holiday present arrived on our computer screens this week, as Yahoo!Movies debuted a two-and-a-half-minute trailer for Gore Verbinski’s animated comedy-Western Rango. Rango stars Johnny Depp as a chameleon who (apparently) becomes the sheriff of a tiny southwestern town named for its most distinctive feature, Dirt. The outstanding voice cast also includes Isla Fisher, Abigail Breslin, Alfred Molina, Ned Beatty, and, as the rattlesnake-villain, Bill Nighy.

CinemaBlend’s Katey Rich attended a Paramount screening of 8 minutes of Rango footage and was dazzled. “Quite honestly, I had no idea what to make of Rango when I went to the preview,” Rich writes. “I was totally stunned. [. . . T]he movie was funny and fast-paced and utterly enjoyable, getting big laughs out of the audience of critics [. . .]. Rango is now high on my list of what’s worth seeing next spring.”

You can see the trailer here:

The Zone thanks DeepinDepp for sharing the trailer and Lu for the CinemaBlend review. You can read more about Rango on the Zone’s News & Views forum.

Gore Verbinski’s Rango debuts in movie theaters on March 4, 2011.

Ahoy, matey! Producer Jerry Bruckheimer and those scallywags at Disney have sent an early Christmas present to everyone who loves swashbuckling entertainment — the first trailer for Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides! Under the direction of Rob Marshall, Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow embarks on a search for the Fountain of Youth and encounters some old friends — Geoffrey Rush’s Captain Hector Barbossa and Penelope Cruz’s exotic Angelica. Or are they foes? With Captain Jack, it can be hard to tell . . . .

Watch the trailer here:

Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides comes to theaters in May 2011. Many thanks to Melzo for sharing the trailer!

That’s a dashing but bundled-up Johnny Depp as he arrived at the Ed Sullivan Theater in Manhattan earlier today to tape his appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman. To see a larger version of the photo, CLICK HERE, and to see Johnny walking with bodyguard Jerry Judge, CLICK HERE. Zone member Scout was among the throng (including, alas, some very aggressive autograph-hunters) who waited to see Johnny leave the theater. “He was signing as he went down the line and when he got to me I asked him to sign a page of my personal journal – he was able to hear me spell my name and he spelled it perfectly – it’s kind of unusual – and wrote ‘best’ and his usual signature,” Scout told us on our forum. “I had a pass to the premiere last night and I told him I was there and liked the movie – I was speaking very quietly and he nodded and said a quiet thank you. It is amazing to me that he will continue to open himself up like this – I respected it so much before – now I am even more awestruck by it.”

For one more look at a playful Johnny Depp outside the theater, CLICK HERE. The Zone sends a special thank-you to Scout for sharing her encounter with Johnny; you can read more about the experiences of those who went to the Letterman taping on the Zone’s Pit General Discussion forum. Thanks to DeepinDepp and Theresa for posting pictures; you can read much more about Johnny’s appearance on The Late Show on the News & Views forum and the Pit. Video is now available on the CBS website HERE; watch for the clip of Johnny in the highlights. More pictures of Johnny are available at Accidental Sexiness HERE.

A dapper Johnny Depp arrived at the red carpet premiere of Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s The Tourist at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City tonight. Johnny wore his familiar blue-tinted glasses, a deep blue shirt, a three-piece pin-striped suit, and an array of scarves tied around his neck. To see a larger version of the photo at left, CLICK HERE, and to see a full-length view of Johnny standing by a poster for The Tourist, CLICK HERE. Johnny’s co-star, Angelina Jolie, attended the premiere with her partner Brad Pitt; Ms. Jolie wore an elegant long-sleeved ivory gown which could have come from her Tourist character’s wardrobe. You can see Ms. Jolie mingling with the crowd HERE. Director Henckel von Donnersmarck and co-star Rufus Sewell also walked the red carpet; co-star Paul Bettany attended with his wife, Oscar-winner Jennifer Connelly.

The Zone thanks Theresa, FANtasticJD, and AnaMaria for sharing photos of the premiere; you can find much more information about The Tourist and its premiere on the Zone’s News & Views forum, and commentary about the premiere pictures on the Pit General Discussion forum. If you can’t get enough premiere photos — and who can? — CLICK HERE for a picture of Johnny with ever-vigilant security chief Jerry Judge in the background. Looking good!

Celebrity Wire conducted a brief, charming video interview with Johnny Depp during the Paris press junket for The Tourist; here’s what Johnny had to say about the romantic thriller and his newest character, Frank Tupelo.

Q: What are the elements of the film?

JOHNNY DEPP: [chuckling] Well, automatic weapons, first and foremost. Fear . . . panic . . . yeah, a stranger on a train . . . and intrigue. Danger. Fear.

Q: About [your] movie character, Frank Tupelo —

JOHNNY DEPP: Frank, for me, sort of represented the Everyman — what is considered by society , is accepted by society as “the normal man.” Everyday guy. Math teacher from Wisconsin. [He] ends up taking that one trip of his lifetime to Europe, ends up on a train in Venice, is approached by, you know, probably the most beautiful woman he’s ever come into contact with. And she appears to be quite interested in him. Asks him to come with her and stay with her and spend time with her. And he does . . . and then the automatic weapons ensue, and the romance ensues, and it gets pretty crazy from then on.

The Tourist received a definite GO SEE IT recommendation from Celebrity Wire Movie Reviews. It opens in theaters on Friday, December 10.

The Zone thanks Emma for sharing the Celebrity Wire interview; you can watch the video HERE.

Great news — Johnny Depp will make a rare U.S. television appearance when he returns to The Late Show with David Letterman on Tuesday, December 7th! Johnny will be in New York to promote the release of The Tourist, which premieres at the Ziegfeld Theatre Monday evening. Letterman’s only other scheduled guest on Tuesday is the musical group Ra Ra Riot, so hopefully he will have plenty of time to talk to Johnny. Johnny’s last visit to The Late Show was June 25, 2009, to promote the release of Public Enemies.

The Zone thanks FANtasticJD for sharing the news; you can read more about the Letterman appearance on the Zone’s News & Views forum.

The photo at left shows Johnny Depp tipping his hat to fans waiting outside the Hotel Le Meurice in Paris on December 2nd. Johnny was en route to the hotel to do press interviews to promote The Tourist, which opens Friday. Accompanied by security chief Jerry Judge, Johnny stopped to sign autographs and take a few quick photos. To see a larger photo of Johnny tipping his hat, CLICK HERE; that’s Jerry alongside him. You can see other photos of Johnny HERE and HERE. To see Johnny and Jerry entering the hotel, CLICK HERE.

The Zone thanks Evochka, Serendipity, and FANtasticJD for sharing video and screencaps of Johnny in Paris. It’s always a pleasure to see him!

In the new issue of Vanity Fair, Patti Smith asks Johnny Depp if it is harder to play a character like Frank Tupelo in The Tourist because he is not flamboyant or eccentric. “The great challenge of a character like Frank, for me, is that he’s Everyman, you know, Mr. Ordinary — not a simpleton, just ordinary. He’s a math teacher. I was always fascinated by people who are considered completely normal, because I find them the weirdest of all.”

PATTI SMITH: So where did you find Frank?

JOHNNY DEPP: He was sort of a combo platter for me, from certain people I’ve known over the years. I knew an accountant who would travel — he was super-straight, very, very straight guy — and he would travel all over the world to photograph places that had street signs or businesses that had the same name as his last name. He’d go to Italy, he’d go to Shanghai, and he’d take photographs. That was his kick.

PATTI SMITH: He had an eccentricity that no one sees. Everyone sees the eccentricities of an artist. But eccentricities like Frank’s are so subtle and so particular.

JOHNNY DEPP: It was guys like that that I thought about. Frank, for example, who had quit smoking, could be absolutely fascinated with that electronic cigarette, and the moving parts of it, and being able to explain it to someone in great detail.

PATTI SMITH: Frank has some really nice pajamas. Cotton. Light blue. Do you wear pajamas?

JOHNNY DEPP: Occasionally I do. Occasionally, when it’s cold.

PATTI SMITH: Do they have feet on them?

JOHNNY DEPP: I don’t have the feet. I have not gone for footed pajamas yet. However, I’m not — I wouldn’t, you know, withdraw the idea.

To see Johnny Depp on the set of The Tourist wearing the famous blue pajamas, CLICK HERE. That’s director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck to the right and Johnny’s stunt man on the left.

The Zone thanks FANtasticJD for sharing the Vanity Fair interview; you can read much more on the Zone’s News & Views forum.

Ahoy, matey–it’s a DVR alert! Tonight’s edition of Entertainment Tonight — that’s Thursday, December 2nd — will air a behind-the-scenes feature on Captain Jack Sparrow’s latest adventure, Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides! Since Entertainment Tonight is syndicated, check ETonline.com to find the time and channel in your area (U.S. only, sorry). Scroll to the bottom of the page where it says “ET on TV Show Finder,” and enter your zip code to find your local broadcast.

The photo above shows Johnny in action as Captain Jack during the recent filming in Greenwich; to see a larger version of the ET promo shot, CLICK HERE. The Zone thanks RumLover for breaking the news and sharing her screencap with us.

Johnny Depp charmed the press at today’s gathering in Paris to promote his upcoming film with Angelina Jolie, The Tourist, answering questions about his approach to this “everyman” character with his usual humor and grace. Here’s an excerpt from the Q&A session as reported by Molly Goodson:

Q: Many of your most famous characters have tons of elaborate costumes and makeup. What did you bring to your character Frank?

JOHNNY DEPP: The story, the script, and the character dictate where you’re going to go. I imagine someone I may have known in the past that reminds me of a character. [The Tourist’s] Frank has this heavily groomed beard, which I by the way can’t grow, so [it]was all glued on. It’s a perfectly landscaped beard, which came from a guy I knew years ago and I was always fascinated with, because it looked like something in a jar. I couldn’t believe someone could actually treat [a beard] so pristinely.

Q: In The Tourist there’s a scene where you’re in pajamas; how did that come to be?

JOHNNY DEPP: I wanted footie pajamas with little bunny ears, but [the director] wouldn’t go for it. Initially he was supposed to be either in a towel or his underpants, but there was something about a grown man in pajamas that you’d pull out of Leave it to Beaver’s dad’s drawer. The imagery, juxtaposed with the background of Venice, I just thought there was something really funny about it.

Q: The director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck said you added the humor to the film, what is the story behind that?

JOHNNY DEPP: I thought, if you took this guy and put him in these situations, especially if he’s going to stick around, he has to recognize the level of absurdity in what he’s going through. Also, if I see a gag coming around the corner, I snatch it up. I can’t help myself. You spend 90% of the time when you’re working trying to make your costar laugh, and I guess some of it’s in the film.

The Zone thanks Emma for sharing the interview and AnaMaria for the screencap of JD at the Paris press junket. To see a larger version, CLICK HERE. You can read much more about The Tourist on the Zone’s News & Views forum.