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Our fansite celebrates the life and achievements of Johnny Depp. Here you can track up-to-the-minute news on Johnny's current
projects, browse Sleepy's breathtaking photo galleries, trade opinions with witty, friendly Depp fans from around the world on our forums, discuss his favorite books with our book club, or read vintage interviews--or JD's own writing--in the JDZ Archives. Look into the JohnnyDepp-Zone...we predict you'll never want to leave.
Penelope Cruz talks to Access Hollywood about PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 4
Access Hollywood’s Billy Bush caught up to Penelope Cruz on the red carpet at the Oscars on Sunday, and asked her about returning to the Academy Awards as “the defending champion” in the Best Supporting Actress category. “I want to enjoy everything that I couldn’t enjoy last year because I was so nervous,” Ms. Cruz replied. “This year, I am still nervous, but I am determined to enjoy tonight.” The Oscar-winner was also asked what her next project would be, and Ms. Cruz’s answer will be of interest to Johnny Depp fans:
ACCESS HOLLYWOOD: Will you get right into another film, right now, or are you taking some time off? What are you going to do?
PENELOPE CRUZ: I think I will make a movie in the summer–
ACCESS HOLLYWOOD: In the summer?
PENELOPE CRUZ: In June. I think it will be Pirates of the Caribbean, and I’m very excited about that. And I will not work before that. [with a laugh] Oh, I will work, but I will not be shooting a movie before that.
More confirmation that we can look for Penelope Cruz to share the screen with Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow in On Stranger Tides. What fun!
The Zone thanks Emma for the Access Hollywood interview. You can read more about Pirates of the Caribbean 4 on the Zone’s News & Views forum.
March 10th, 2010 by Part-Time Poet
Babybird’s “Unloveable” video, directed by Johnny Depp–see it here!
Last September Johnny Depp spent several days directing a music video for Babybird; the track is “Unloveable” from their new CD Ex-Maniac. The video stars Babybird lead singer Stephen Jones and actor Stephen Graham, who appeared with Johnny Depp in Public Enemies. The storyline of this haunting and vividly realized short film will call to mind Ambrose Bierce’s classic story, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.” You can watch it here:
The Zone thanks AnaMaria, Lu, Alice Springs, and Theresa for sharing clips of the “Unloveable” video. You can learn more about Babybird and the band’s upcoming concert appearances for Ex-Maniac at the official online Babybird community HERE. Thanks also to Emma for keeping us up-to-date with breaking news on “Unloveable;” you can read a lively discussion of the video on the Zone’s Porch discussion forum.
March 9th, 2010 by Part-Time Poet
My career “defies logic,” Johnny Depp tells PARADE MAGAZINE
In an interview published in Sunday’s Parade Magazine, Johnny Depp talked to Jeanne Wolf about his career path. “My whole ride in this business since day one has been pretty surreal,” Johnny said. “It defies logic. I’m still completely shocked that I get jobs and still am around. So it has been a kind like falling through the rabbit hole into a kind of wonderland.”
Regarding his most recent role as the Mad Hatter in Tim Burton’s just-released Alice in Wonderland, Johnny reiterated that he would have played any role Burton requested. “To be honest, he could have asked me to play Alice and I would have said yes,” Johnny said. “I would have done whatever character he wanted. The fact that it was the Mad Hatter was a bonus because it was a great challenge.” As for their working relationship, Johnny said, “There is some kind of connection, some sort of understanding that Tim and I have that is at most times unspoken. I do feel a certain amount of pressure like, ‘Will this be the film where I disappoint him?’ I try really hard just to come up with something that’s very different and we haven’t experienced together before.”
When asked what was most important to him, Johnny didn’t talk about his career. “I think meeting the mother of my children, Vanessa, completely changed my life. When I watch her with our kids, I can’t think of anything more beautiful in the world. [. . .] In spite of my career we really try to have a normal family life. I think it’s made me mellower about just about everything.”
The Zone thanks Emma for sharing the Parade interview; you can read more on the Zone’s News & Views forum.
March 8th, 2010 by Part-Time Poet
ALICE IN WONDERLAND’s $116.1 million opening weekend shatters box office records
Congratulations to Tim Burton and his merry repertory company! Alice in Wonderland earned a stunning $116.1 million at the box-office this weekend in the U.S. and Canada. “Even accounting for ticket price inflation, that’s the biggest-ever opening in the first quarter of the year, easily beating the record of $83.8 million set by The Passion of the Christ in 2004,” says the Los Angeles Times. And the news from overseas was just as strong: Disney reports that Alice “logged the biggest international opening weekend ever for any title launched in the January-April period,” grossing an estimated $94 million in 40 territories.
Combined with its No. 1 weekend tally in the U.S. and Canada, Alice grossed a total of $210.3 million on its first weekend. That gives Alice the fourth highest worldwide opening for a non-sequel film. Amazing!
Alice in Wonderland’s performance abroad is especially impressive because the film is playing in only “60% of the international marketplace,” according to Disney. The Hollywood Reporter writes that “key territories [such as] France and China won’t open the picture until later this month with debuts in Spain, Japan and Brazil due next month.”
“Its huge opening more than justifies the approximately $200 million that Disney spent to make the film,” notes the Los Angeles Times. And Alice should have legs: “Audiences gave the movie an average grade of A-minus, according to market research firm CinemaScore, meaning that word of mouth should be strong despite mixed reviews.”
The Zone extends our congratulations and sincere thanks to retired Disney chief Dick Cook, who gave the green light to Alice in Wonderland and assembled its marvelously talented roster of artists. Mr. Cook’s brainchild has now earned more at the box office in just three days than “the total gross of any other 2010 release,” says BoxOfficeMojo. Not bad at all.
The Zone thanks Shadowydog and FANtasticJD for the box office reports; you can read more on the Zone’s News & Views forum.
March 7th, 2010 by Part-Time Poet
Cheers! ALICE IN WONDERLAND posts 2010’s best opening day–$41 million!
Eager audiences stormed movie theaters on Friday to see Tim Burton’s new take on Alice in Wonderland, starring Mia Wasikowska as Alice, Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, and Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen. Box office estimates give Disney’s Alice a one-day total of $41 million from 3,728 theaters in North America–that’s the best opening for a film in 2010 and the biggest opening ever for a 3D feature film, easily topping Avatar’s opening Friday total of $26.7 million. Pre-release box office predictions for Alice’s opening weekend were in the $70 million range, with the most optimistic forecast at $90 million, according to the Los Angeles Times, but Alice’s robust opening day performance puts the Burton film on track for an opening weekend well above $100 million, far exceeding expectations. The current title-holder for best March opening weekend is $70.9 million for 300 in 2007, but the Spartans seem likely to lose their crown to Alice this weekend. Congratulations!
The Zone thanks Theresa, Emma, and Marijose for box-office data; you can read more on the Zone’s News & Views forum.
March 6th, 2010 by Part-Time Poet
Today’s the day! Tim Burton’s ALICE IN WONDERLAND, starring Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, comes to theaters
Tim Burton’s much-anticipated 3D version of Alice in Wonderland opens in movie theaters in many countries today; it will claim 3,728 screens in North America alone. Starring Mia Wasikowska as Alice, Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen, and Anne Hathaway as the White Queen, the film explores Alice’s adventures as she returns to the kingdom she first encountered when she was a little girl. “Alice is more than just a gorgeous 3D sight to behold,” writes Michael Rechtshaffen in The Hollywood Reporter. “Armed with a smartly reshaped but still reverential script by Linda Woolverton (Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King), Burton has delivered a subversively witty, brilliantly cast, whimsically appointed dazzler that also manages to hit all the emotionally satisfying marks.” Go and have a good time–see it in 3D if you can!
You can read much more about Alice in Wonderland on the Zone’s News & Views forum.
March 5th, 2010 by Part-Time Poet
First photo of Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie in THE TOURIST
The much-anticipated first photo of Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie working together in The Tourist has finally arrived–and shows Angelina’s character, Elise, standing on a balcony, while Johnny’s character, the American tourist Frank, gazes out a window. There’s no connection between the characters yet, but we’re enjoying any pictures we can get from this beautiful setting. You can see a larger view of the balcony scene HERE, but don’t expect to see Romeo and Juliet! The Tourist, under the direction of Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, continues filming in Venice through May.
In a recent interview with Mark Salisbury published in Time Out, Johnny had this to say about about his current project: “The Tourist is something that kind-of arrived with Angelina Jolie attached and it seems good. It seems like something different for me. If it’s related to anything genre-wise it’s got a North by Northwest feel to it that I like.” As for his celebrated co-star, Johnny said: “I’ve seen her in a couple of things and she seems awfully great, you know: seems like a good girl. Loves her family, loves her man, loves the work.”
The Zone thanks Theresa for the picture and the Time Out article; you can read the full interview on the News & Views forum.
March 4th, 2010 by Part-Time Poet
“We hope . . . we did something that will make them laugh”–Ben Lyons interviews Johnny Depp and Tim Burton about ALICE IN WONDERLAND
Ben Lyons of E!Online recently had the opportunity to interview Johnny Depp and Tim Burton about their new film Alice in Wonderland, which arrives in movie theaters–in glorious 3D–on Friday, March 5th. Here is a transcription of a bit of that video interview. Lyons asked Johnny to “walk him through” the process of transforming into the Mad Hatter:
Johnny Depp: Well, early calls . . . early calls, and you sit in a chair, and people start painting this kind of greasepaint on your face, and suddenly you start to disappear. And then you are attacked by a giant orange ferret, and they attach it to your head. And then you are wrapped in a magnificent 19th century surrealist costume, the hat goes on, and you’re ready to go.
Lyons then asked how it was working in the green-screen environment.
Tim Burton: Well, for me it was new. I hadn’t really done it to this level before. The absurdity that we both enjoy, and then just the surreal nature of making a movie, and everything . . . it just kind of added to that. So we tried to use what was negative and treat it like a bizarre positive.
Johnny Depp: Yeah. Exactly.
Lyons recalled that the last time he spoke to the duo, they were promoting Sweeney Todd. He asked them to reflect about what it meant to have a film that “younger audiences,” in particular their own children, could enjoy.
Johnny Depp: Well, it means a lot. the good thing is that, as you said, is that the kiddies can go to it and kind of enjoy it. And we hope that we just did something that will make them laugh, and live in that moment and have a ball with it.
The Zone thanks Marijose for sharing the E!Online video.
March 3rd, 2010 by Part-Time Poet
Johnny Depp tops Favorite Actor poll in Japan for 7th consecutive year
Once again Johnny Depp has been named Japan’s favorite actor in the annual “Golden Grand Prix” readers poll conducted by Screen magazine. This is the seventh straight year that Johnny has topped the poll–an all-time record. The previous record of six consecutive years was held by Audrey Hepburn in the early 1960s. Screen has been conducting its poll since 1952. Johnny’s vote total for favorite actor was more than double the number for the runner-up, Robert Pattinson of the Twilight saga. Third place went to Brad Pitt. Congratulations, Johnny!
“[Johnny's] popularity hasn’t gone down since the time of the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie,” Screen’s editor-in-chief, Akihiro Yonezaki, told the press. “He has such a wide fan base ranging from the younger generation to older people.”
The Zone thanks Emma for sharing the news; you can read more on the Zone’s News & Views forum.
March 2nd, 2010 by Part-Time Poet
First photos–Johnny Depp on the set of THE TOURIST in Venice!
After a whirlwind ten days of promotion for Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, due in theaters on Friday, Johnny Depp has reported for work on the set of the romantic thriller The Tourist. The photo at left shows Johnny standing on a marble balcony in the Palazzo Pisani in the Grand Canal in Venice; he is in character as Frank, an American tourist visiting Italy to mend a broken heart. The role of Frank apparently requires no drastic changes to Johnny’s appearance: his hair is still long, and the Captain-Jack-beard-in-progress has been cleverly enhanced. Very dashing! The costume is by multi-Oscar winner Colleen Atwood. To see a larger version of the photo, CLICK HERE. You can see another photo of Johnny on the set of The TouristHERE, and for a completely different look–suit jacket, white shirt, and tie–CLICK HERE.
The Zone thanks Theresa, AnaMaria, and Emma for sharing photos. You can read more about the filming of The Tourist on the Zone’s News & Views forum; for a lively discussion of Johnny’s “look” for the film, see the Pit forum. We are delighted to see The Tourist underway–best wishes to the cast and crew!
March 1st, 2010 by Part-Time Poet
BREAKING NEWS–Johnny Depp arrives in Venice to film THE TOURIST
One of the world’s loveliest cities got even more beautiful on Saturday (February 27) when Johnny Depp arrived in Venice to begin filming The Tourist. A romantic thriller in the Hitchcock mode, The Tourist is based on the 2005 French film Anthony Zimmer and co-stars Angelina Jolie. Oscar-winner Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck is directing. Shooting is expected to continue in Venice for several weeks, no doubt causing paparazzi to jump for joy.
Johnny Depp joked about the media frenzy around The Tourist when he spoke to reporters during the promotion for Alice in Wonderland. “I feel I’m not getting photographed by the paparazzi enough, so I figure I’ll go and hang out in Venice with Brad and Angelina,” he quipped. Of his new co-star, Johnny said graciously, “I’d never met Angelina before but I found her to be a real treat, I mean a real doll. She’s a nice woman, serious about what she does and loves her man and loves her kids. I was very impressed.”
The Zone thanks Emma for the interview with Johnny; you can read more about The Tourist on the Zone’s News & View forum.
February 28th, 2010 by Part-Time Poet
“Keith has been unbelievably generous with his time”–Johnny Depp talks about his Keith Richards documentary
You can always count on Ruben V. Nepales, the Los Angeles correspondent for the Philippine Daily Inquirer, to ask intriguing questions when he gets the chance to interview Johnny Depp. Many thanks to Mr. Nepales for asking Johnny to explain the genesis of his documentary on Keith Richards, Happy. “The Keith Richards documentary came about in a very strange way,” Johnny said. “Keith and I have spent a lot of time together over the years, whenever he’s off the road and I’m off a film. We would usually end up in the living room of his hotel suite or my house or his place in New York. We would talk and I get all these incredible stories that just haven’t made it out there in the world. I suggested to him that maybe we could try something like that on film and he went, ‘Yeah.’ For a number of years, he was like, ‘Yeah, we’ll see.’ Finally, bless him, he deigned to give it a shot so it’s something that we’re doing together.”
Johnny, Keith Richards, Patti Smith and other special guests were spotted filming at the Los Angeles Theater at the end of January. “Keith has been unbelievably generous with his time,” Johnny said. “We shot for about five days which I consider the first installment of the piece.” And how does he feel about directing again? Typically modest, Johnny replied, “The only reason why I’m doing it is because I wanted to capture stuff. There’s no directing really.”
What a fascinating project. We can’t wait to see this one!
Many thanks to Theresa for sharing the Nepales interview. You can read a lively discussion of it on the Zone’s News & Views forum. To read the entire interview, CLICK HERE.
February 28th, 2010 by Part-Time Poet
Johnny Depp plays guitar on charity single for Haiti: “I Put a Spell on You”
Here’s proof that doing good for others can be great fun! Johnny Depp plays slide guitar on an all-star version of the Screamin’ Jay Hawkins 1956 classic “I Put a Spell on You,” by Shane MacGowan and Friends, recorded to benefit victims of the Haiti earthquake. The charity single is the brainchild of former Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan and his girlfriend, writer Victoria Clarke.
Joining MacGowan on vocals are Nick Cave, Primal Scream singer Bobby Gillespie, the Sex Pistols’ Glen Matlock, The Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde, Paloma Faith, and Eliza Doolittle. Playing guitar on the track are James Walbourne, The Clash’s Mick Jones and Johnny Depp, who recorded his parts in LA.
Cait O’Riordan plays bass, Carwyn Ellis plays Hammond organ and piano, Rob Walbourne handles the drums, and (we kid you not) Mick Jones “plays” the fire hydrant.
All proceeds from the track, being released March 8, will go to the Irish-based charity Concern Worldwide’s Haitian relief efforts. The charity has been at work in Haiti for 16 years. “I Put a Spell on You” can be preordered from the Concern website HERE. Right now it can be pre-ordered in pounds sterling and euros, with other international currencies to be added soon.
The Zone thanks Theresa, Emma, RamblinRebel, FANtasticJD, Gilbert’s Girl, AnaMaria, and Madscntst at JDRocks for sharing news on this wonderful project. Buy a download and help Haiti!
February 28th, 2010 by Part-Time Poet
TV ALERT–Johnny Depp appears on CBS 48 HOURS MYSTERY tonight
Johnny Depp will appear on the CBS prime-time program 48 Hours Mystery on Saturday, February 27th, but it has nothing to do with his role as the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland. According to a preview in Entertainment Weekly, Johnny will be speaking out in defense of the West Memphis Three, who as teenagers were found guilty of the 1993 murder of three 8-year-old boys in West Memphis, Arkansas. This is a highly controversial case which has received a lot of media attention as a possible miscarriage of justice. “Since their case was chronicled in the acclaimed 1996 documentary Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills, Damien Echols, who is on death row, and Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley, who received life sentences, have drawn support from a variety of pop culture figures, including Eddie Vedder, the Dixie Chicks, Henry Rollins, Tom Waits, and Winona Ryder, who argue that they were wrongly convicted of the brutal killings largely because, in their conservative community, their goth looks and taste for heavy-metal music stoked irrational fears of satan-worshipping teens and made them easy fall guys,” says EW’s Josh Rottenberg. Johnny is among those who believe the West Memphis Three were wrongfully convicted: “There’s not a shred of evidence. I think the most courageous action that the state could now take would be to admit that they were wrong, admit they made mistakes, and correct these errors.”
The Zone thanks Chocolat for sharing the news.
February 27th, 2010 by Part-Time Poet
Adapting Lewis Carroll: USA TODAY interviews Tim Burton and ALICE IN WONDERLAND screenwriter Linda Woolverton
Adapting Lewis Carroll’s Alice stories for the screen was a challenge, director Tim Burton told USA Today’s Susan Wloszczyna, because the “iconic characters” are stranded in a series of episodes that have no “narrative drive.” Says Burton, “Every version I’ve seen falls into the same category: A precocious girl meets a bunch of weirdos.” What tempted the director to film Carroll’s fantasy was the script by Linda Woolverton, author of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. “Her whole point was to focus and frame it, to explore what Alice is about. It didn’t need more bells and whistles. It needed grounding.”
While Woolverton is a great admirer of Lewis Carroll–”the characters are remarkable and unforgettable”–she spotted the lack of a dramatic arc in the stories: “Alice is a girl who doesn’t change. There is no real jeopardy. There is no emotion, really.” Woolverton’s version takes Alice back to Wonderland as a 19-year-old girl fleeing from an unwanted engagement. She finds the kingdom in turmoil, terrorized by the capricious and autocratic Red Queen. Says Wloszczyna, “It gave the usually passive Alice a chance to not only save the day but also to determine her own destiny. The girl-powered underpinnings were not unlike those the writer gave to Belle, the bookworm heroine of Beauty and the Beast and liberator of future Disney fairy-tale females.”
When Woolverton learned that her script would be directed by Tim Burton, she told USA Today that she did “that happy dance” — more precisely, a “futterwacken,” described as “a sort of herky-jerky jig with a few hip-hop moves that she invented for the film.” The Mad Hatter does a memorable futterwacken in Alice in Wonderland; when Sky News asked Johnny Depp about it, he replied: “Futterwacking is very dangerous and it should only be done once a month in the privacy of your own home with a doctor’s permission.”
You can read more of the USA Today feature on Alice in Wonderland on the Zone’s News & Views forum.
February 27th, 2010 by Part-Time Poet
Johnny Depp’s Mad Hatter on the cover of the new ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY!
Entertainment Weekly celebrates the release of Alice in Wonderland by putting Johnny Depp’s Mad Hatter on the cover of the March 5th issue, with the headline “Johnny Depp Goes Mad! From the Mad Hatter to Edward Scissorhands–Depp & Director Tim Burton on Their Greatest Creations.” Inside the issue is a nine-page feature by Josh Rottenberg that includes a lengthy interview with Johnny Depp and Tim Burton, looking back on their seven film collaborations. A special bonus for Depp and Burton fans–this issue includes three additional cover shots from past films, and you don’t have to buy four separate copies to get all the pictures. Bravo! The four cover characters are THE MAD HATTER, EDWARD SCISSORHANDS, ED WOOD, and WILLY WONKA. Here’s a section of the interview:
EW: When you did Pirates of the Caribbean, the executives at Disney famously panicked at first over how you were playing Jack Sparrow. Was there any concern this time about portraying the Mad Hatter as a sort of pale-skinned, green-eyed, orange-haired freak?
JOHNNY DEPP: When we first went in to do the camera tests, I was thinking, “They’re going to lose their minds.” But Tim fully supported it. It was a couple of solid hours in the makeup chair every day, but it really helped. You start to understand who the guy is through all that weird kind of Carrot Top Kabuki.
TIM BURTON: From Edward Scissorhands on, Johnny has always wanted to cover himself up and hide. [Laughs] I get it.
JOHNNY DEPP: I still do. Absolutely.
TIM BURTON: It’s fascinating to see Johnny work up to a character, though. In the past, we’ve done some studio read-throughs of the script and the executives will come up to me afterward, like, [in a nervous whisper] “He’s not going to do that in the movie, is he? [. . .] It’s funny, because the thing that worries people most is often the thing that makes it work.
EW: And to prove it, there are now people standing out on Hollywood Boulevard dressed as Jack Sparrow.
JOHNNY DEPP: I was driving down Hollywood Boulevard one day and stopped at a light, looked to my left, and saw Willy Wonka having a conversation with Jack Sparrow. It was so cool, man.
The Zone thanks Emma for the Entertainment Weekly article and FANtasticJD for the cover scans. You can read more on the Zone’s News & Views forum.
February 26th, 2010 by Part-Time Poet
Odeon reaches deal with Disney to screen ALICE IN WONDERLAND in its cinemas
Only a few hours before the Royal World Premiere of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland at the Odeon Leicester Square, the theater chain announced that it has reached an agreement with Disney to show the 3D film in Odeon cinemas. Earlier in the week, Odeon had declared that it would not screen Alice in the UK or Ireland to protest Disney’s plan to reduce the gap between the film’s cinema debut and DVD release to around three months rather than the usual 17 weeks. However, intense negotiations between Disney and Odeon paid off. A statement released on February 25th said, “Odeon is pleased to announce that it will now be showing Alice In Wonderland beginning March 5 in its cinemas in the UK, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Portugal and Austria.”
Competitors Cineworld and Vue had previously struck deals with Disney and had announced their intention to screen Alice in their cinemas.
British moviegoers are the big winners here, since they will be able to see Alice in Wonderland as its creators wished it to be seen–in a cinema on a 3D screen. As Johnny Depp told the BBC at the Alice premiere, “What is most important, in all of this, is the people. The film is made for the people, and it’s not about my relationship with a corporation or Tim’s relationship with a corporation or anything else like that. It’s a film made for the people, and that’s why we’re all so happy it’s been resolved.”
The Zone thanks AnaMaria for the Odeon news release and Emma for the BBC interview; you can read much more about Alice in Wonderland on the Zone’s News & Views forum.
February 26th, 2010 by Part-Time Poet
We have the evidence–Johnny Depp meets royalty at the ALICE IN WONDERLAND premiere
For all those who were unable to watch the green carpet premiere of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland live on the Zone, we offer a screencap of the memorable moment when Johnny Depp was greeted by His Royal Highness Prince Charles inside the Odeon Theatre. Although Johnny had told a reporter earlier in the week that he would probably be so nervous at the Royal Premiere that he would spend the evening “hiding in a broom closet,” he stood between co-stars Mia Wasikowska (Alice) and Helena Bonham Carter (the Red Queen) and, when his turn arrived, successfully exchanged several sentences with the Prince of Wales. To see a larger screencap of that moment, CLICK HERE, and to see a photo of Prince Charles shaking Johnny’s hand, CLICK HERE.
Proud mother Helena Bonham Carter pulled out her cell phone to snap pictures when, at the conclusion of the reception line, six-year-old Billy Ray Burton stepped forward to present the Duchess of Cornwall with an enormous bouquet of roses, a task the young man handled with considerable poise and grace. The royal couple did not merely make an appearance, but stayed to watch the screening of Alice in Wonderland.
The Zone thanks AnaMaria for sharing her screencap and Ustream for the live video feed. To see a photo of Johnny with his co-stars Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter and Mia Wasikowska, all looking fabulous, CLICK HERE; thanks to Alice Springs for the photo.
February 25th, 2010 by Part-Time Poet
BREAKING NEWS–Johnny Depp arrives at Royal World Premiere of ALICE IN WONDERLAND in London
The photo at left shows Johnny Depp as he arrives at the Royal World Premiere of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland at the Odeon Leicester Square in London today. Johnny is wearing a tuxedo with a formal white shirt, but no tie; he wore a black overcoat while outdoors, due to the fierce cold rain that drenched Leicester Square. To see a larger version of the portrait of Johnny, CLICK HERE, and to see a full-length view of Johnny on the green (not red) carpet, CLICK HERE.
Despite the pouring rain, Johnny spent considerable time signing autographs for the fans standing at the barricades around Leicester Square. In an interview with Sky News before the premiere, he expressed his thanks to “all those people who so sweetly and bravely stayed out there in that weather” to support Alice in Wonderland. You can see Johnny signing autographs HERE. He then went inside the Odeon where the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall greeted the cast members, the film’s producers, and Disney executives. The Royal World Premiere of Alice in Wonderland is a benefit for The Prince’s Foundation for Children and the Arts, an educational charity.
The Zone thanks Jennifer Chan at Ustream for the live link to the Alice in Wonderland premiere–we loved watching it! Many thanks to all the Zone members who shared their reactions and to AnaMaria and In-too-Depp for pictures.
February 25th, 2010 by Part-Time Poet
Johnny Depp talks to the press about his next film, THE TOURIST
During the press conference for Alice in Wonderland on February 20th, Johnny Depp was asked a few questions about the next film on his schedule, The Tourist, in which he will star with Angelina Jolie. Due to inaccurate tabloid reports, some members of the press were under the mistaken impression that The Tourist was already underway. The film, an adaptation of the 2005 French thriller Anthony Zimmer, will be directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. Shooting begins in Paris this week with Angelina; Johnny is scheduled to report later, after he finishes his promotional duties for Alice in Wonderland.
Q: Can you talk about The Tourist and what you enjoy about working with Angelina Jolie?
Johnny Depp: I haven’t done anything yet.
Q: When does that start shooting?
Johnny Depp: I think Tuesday.
Q: How do you think it’s going to go?
Johnny Depp: I think it will be swell.
Q: What was it that you liked about the project that made you want to sign on?
Johnny Depp: I liked the French film a lot. My friend played the part in that [Johnny is referring to his friend Yvan Attal, who directed Johnny in 2004's Ils se marierent et eurent beaucoup des enfants] and I liked it and thought it might be interesting to explore this character. You never know what’s going to happen. I suspect there may be a few paparazzi in Venice.
To see a larger version of the photo of Johnny Depp at the Alice in Wonderland press conference, CLICK HERE. The Zone thanks In-too-Depp for the photo, and Theresa, Joni, Serendipity, and FANtasticJD for sharing news.
February 24th, 2010 by Part-Time Poet
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Access Hollywood’s Billy Bush caught up to Penelope Cruz on the red carpet at the Oscars on Sunday, and asked her about returning to the Academy Awards as “the defending champion” in the Best Supporting Actress category. “I want to enjoy everything that I couldn’t enjoy last year because I was so nervous,” Ms. Cruz replied. “This year, I am still nervous, but I am determined to enjoy tonight.” The Oscar-winner was also asked what her next project would be, and Ms. Cruz’s answer will be of interest to Johnny Depp fans:
In an interview published in Sunday’s Parade Magazine, Johnny Depp talked to Jeanne Wolf about his career path. “My whole ride in this business since day one has been pretty surreal,” Johnny said. “It defies logic. I’m still completely shocked that I get jobs and still am around. So it has been a kind like falling through the rabbit hole into a kind of wonderland.” 
Congratulations to Tim Burton and his merry repertory company! Alice in Wonderland earned a stunning $116.1 million at the box-office this weekend in the U.S. and Canada. “Even accounting for ticket price inflation, that’s the biggest-ever opening in the first quarter of the year, easily beating the record of $83.8 million set by The Passion of the Christ in 2004,” says the Los Angeles Times. And the news from overseas was just as strong: Disney reports that Alice “logged the biggest international opening weekend ever for any title launched in the January-April period,” grossing an estimated $94 million in 40 territories. 
Eager audiences stormed movie theaters on Friday to see Tim Burton’s new take on Alice in Wonderland, starring Mia Wasikowska as Alice, Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, and Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen. Box office estimates give Disney’s Alice a one-day total of $41 million from 3,728 theaters in North America–that’s the best opening for a film in 2010 and the biggest opening ever for a 3D feature film, easily topping Avatar’s opening Friday total of $26.7 million. Pre-release box office predictions for Alice’s opening weekend were in the $70 million range, with the most optimistic forecast at $90 million, according to the Los Angeles Times, but Alice’s robust opening day performance puts the Burton film on track for an opening weekend well above $100 million, far exceeding expectations. The current title-holder for best March opening weekend is $70.9 million for 300 in 2007, but the Spartans seem likely to lose their crown to Alice this weekend. Congratulations!
Tim Burton’s much-anticipated 3D version of Alice in Wonderland opens in movie theaters in many countries today; it will claim 3,728 screens in North America alone. Starring Mia Wasikowska as Alice, Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen, and Anne Hathaway as the White Queen, the film explores Alice’s adventures as she returns to the kingdom she first encountered when she was a little girl. “Alice is more than just a gorgeous 3D sight to behold,” writes Michael Rechtshaffen in The Hollywood Reporter. “Armed with a smartly reshaped but still reverential script by Linda Woolverton (Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King), Burton has delivered a subversively witty, brilliantly cast, whimsically appointed dazzler that also manages to hit all the emotionally satisfying marks.” Go and have a good time–see it in 3D if you can!
The much-anticipated first photo of Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie working together in The Tourist has finally arrived–and shows Angelina’s character, Elise, standing on a balcony, while Johnny’s character, the American tourist Frank, gazes out a window. There’s no connection between the characters yet, but we’re enjoying any pictures we can get from this beautiful setting. You can see a larger view of the balcony scene 
Ben Lyons of E!Online recently had the opportunity to interview Johnny Depp and Tim Burton about their new film Alice in Wonderland, which arrives in movie theaters–in glorious 3D–on Friday, March 5th. Here is a transcription of a bit of that video interview. Lyons asked Johnny to “walk him through” the process of transforming into the Mad Hatter:
Once again Johnny Depp has been named Japan’s favorite actor in the annual “Golden Grand Prix” readers poll conducted by Screen magazine. This is the seventh straight year that Johnny has topped the poll–an all-time record. The previous record of six consecutive years was held by Audrey Hepburn in the early 1960s. Screen has been conducting its poll since 1952. Johnny’s vote total for favorite actor was more than double the number for the runner-up, Robert Pattinson of the Twilight saga. Third place went to Brad Pitt. Congratulations, Johnny!
After a whirlwind ten days of promotion for Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, due in theaters on Friday, Johnny Depp has reported for work on the set of the romantic thriller The Tourist. The photo at left shows Johnny standing on a marble balcony in the Palazzo Pisani in the Grand Canal in Venice; he is in character as Frank, an American tourist visiting Italy to mend a broken heart. The role of Frank apparently requires no drastic changes to Johnny’s appearance: his hair is still long, and the Captain-Jack-beard-in-progress has been cleverly enhanced. Very dashing! The costume is by multi-Oscar winner Colleen Atwood. To see a larger version of the photo, 
One of the world’s loveliest cities got even more beautiful on Saturday (February 27) when Johnny Depp arrived in Venice to begin filming The Tourist. A romantic thriller in the Hitchcock mode, The Tourist is based on the 2005 French film Anthony Zimmer and co-stars Angelina Jolie. Oscar-winner Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck is directing. Shooting is expected to continue in Venice for several weeks, no doubt causing paparazzi to jump for joy.
You can always count on Ruben V. Nepales, the Los Angeles correspondent for the Philippine Daily Inquirer, to ask intriguing questions when he gets the chance to interview Johnny Depp. Many thanks to Mr. Nepales for asking Johnny to explain the genesis of his documentary on Keith Richards, Happy. “The Keith Richards documentary came about in a very strange way,” Johnny said. “Keith and I have spent a lot of time together over the years, whenever he’s off the road and I’m off a film. We would usually end up in the living room of his hotel suite or my house or his place in New York. We would talk and I get all these incredible stories that just haven’t made it out there in the world. I suggested to him that maybe we could try something like that on film and he went, ‘Yeah.’ For a number of years, he was like, ‘Yeah, we’ll see.’ Finally, bless him, he deigned to give it a shot so it’s something that we’re doing together.”
Johnny Depp will appear on the CBS prime-time program 48 Hours Mystery on Saturday, February 27th, but it has nothing to do with his role as the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland. According to a preview in Entertainment Weekly, Johnny will be speaking out in defense of the West Memphis Three, who as teenagers were found guilty of the 1993 murder of three 8-year-old boys in West Memphis, Arkansas. This is a highly controversial case which has received a lot of media attention as a possible miscarriage of justice. “Since their case was chronicled in the acclaimed 1996 documentary Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills, Damien Echols, who is on death row, and Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley, who received life sentences, have drawn support from a variety of pop culture figures, including Eddie Vedder, the Dixie Chicks, Henry Rollins, Tom Waits, and Winona Ryder, who argue that they were wrongly convicted of the brutal killings largely because, in their conservative community, their goth looks and taste for heavy-metal music stoked irrational fears of satan-worshipping teens and made them easy fall guys,” says EW’s Josh Rottenberg. Johnny is among those who believe the West Memphis Three were wrongfully convicted: “There’s not a shred of evidence. I think the most courageous action that the state could now take would be to admit that they were wrong, admit they made mistakes, and correct these errors.”
Adapting Lewis Carroll’s Alice stories for the screen was a challenge, director Tim Burton told USA Today’s Susan Wloszczyna, because the “iconic characters” are stranded in a series of episodes that have no “narrative drive.” Says Burton, “Every version I’ve seen falls into the same category: A precocious girl meets a bunch of weirdos.” What tempted the director to film Carroll’s fantasy was the script by Linda Woolverton, author of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. “Her whole point was to focus and frame it, to explore what Alice is about. It didn’t need more bells and whistles. It needed grounding.”
Entertainment Weekly celebrates the release of Alice in Wonderland by putting Johnny Depp’s Mad Hatter on the cover of the March 5th issue, with the headline “Johnny Depp Goes Mad! From the Mad Hatter to Edward Scissorhands–Depp & Director Tim Burton on Their Greatest Creations.” Inside the issue is a nine-page feature by Josh Rottenberg that includes a lengthy interview with Johnny Depp and Tim Burton, looking back on their seven film collaborations. A special bonus for Depp and Burton fans–this issue includes three additional cover shots from past films, and you don’t have to buy four separate copies to get all the pictures. Bravo! The four cover characters are 
Only a few hours before the Royal World Premiere of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland at the Odeon Leicester Square, the theater chain announced that it has reached an agreement with Disney to show the 3D film in Odeon cinemas. Earlier in the week, Odeon had declared that it would not screen Alice in the UK or Ireland to protest Disney’s plan to reduce the gap between the film’s cinema debut and DVD release to around three months rather than the usual 17 weeks. However, intense negotiations between Disney and Odeon paid off. A statement released on February 25th said, “Odeon is pleased to announce that it will now be showing Alice In Wonderland beginning March 5 in its cinemas in the UK, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Portugal and Austria.”
For all those who were unable to watch the green carpet premiere of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland live on the Zone, we offer a screencap of the memorable moment when Johnny Depp was greeted by His Royal Highness Prince Charles inside the Odeon Theatre. Although Johnny had told a reporter earlier in the week that he would probably be so nervous at the Royal Premiere that he would spend the evening “hiding in a broom closet,” he stood between co-stars Mia Wasikowska (Alice) and Helena Bonham Carter (the Red Queen) and, when his turn arrived, successfully exchanged several sentences with the Prince of Wales. To see a larger screencap of that moment, 
The photo at left shows Johnny Depp as he arrives at the Royal World Premiere of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland at the Odeon Leicester Square in London today. Johnny is wearing a tuxedo with a formal white shirt, but no tie; he wore a black overcoat while outdoors, due to the fierce cold rain that drenched Leicester Square. To see a larger version of the portrait of Johnny, 
During the press conference for Alice in Wonderland on February 20th, Johnny Depp was asked a few questions about the next film on his schedule, The Tourist, in which he will star with Angelina Jolie. Due to inaccurate tabloid reports, some members of the press were under the mistaken impression that The Tourist was already underway. The film, an adaptation of the 2005 French thriller Anthony Zimmer, will be directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. Shooting begins in Paris this week with Angelina; Johnny is scheduled to report later, after he finishes his promotional duties for Alice in Wonderland.
