Johnny Depp, aka John Dillinger in the Universal film "Public Enemies," is hitting Crown Point this spring reportedly to reprise the gangster's bold 1934 escape from Lake County Jail.
The scene will be shot on location at the Old Sheriff's House and Jail, 226 S. Main St., sources said. Universal declined to comment on specifics.
The front part of the Second Empire-style building housed the top cop in Dillinger's era. The back holds the cells from which the bank robber fled in broad daylight.
Dates for the Crown Point shoot are under wraps. But director Michael Mann has targeted the old Lake County Criminal Court, 220 S. Main St., as his headquarters during a three-day stay. Reborn the Hall of Justice Bar and Ballroom in the early 1990s, the jail's neighbor will host up to 200 actors, crew members and technicians.
"Hollywood's coming to Crown Point," said Philip Struebig, co-owner of the Hall of Justice. "It's going to be a heck of a thing for Crown Point. It will put us back on the map."
He is banking on hosting a reception for three-time Oscar nominee Depp, 44, during the shoot. "We're ready to rock 'n' roll," he said.
Work crews arrived Monday to prep the red-brick jail for its close-up. By Thursday, a dozen tradesmen were measuring timber on sawhorses for a new drop ceiling and walls. The chug of a portable generator and buzz of a circular saw all but drowned out jokes about tommy guns.
"I wish we could say (the restoration) will be complete, but it'll be mostly the entry and upstairs," Universal location scout George Constas said Thursday.
The Depression-era cells -- one which housed Dillinger -- are rating kid-glove treatment. The restoration team will make them "look pretty, but not too pretty" for the period drama. "It'll just look like a jail," said Constas, standing in the gutted foyer. "Concrete and bars."
Indiana native Dillinger escaped the heavily guarded jail March 3, 1934, by brandishing a gun. Some say it was real gun smuggled into him; some say it was hand-carved.
He then embarrassed local authorities by driving off in Sheriff Lillian Holley's new V-8 Ford. The nonprofit Sheriff's House Foundation oversees the registered landmark today.
Philip and Cynthia Jo Struebig, who purchased the courthouse in 1990, said they met with Mann before Christmas to discuss local Dillinger sites that might be incorporated into the film. The "Miami Vice" producer toured the old courthouse, admiring the "Victory of Law Through Justice" mural before which Dillinger was arraigned, then inspected the jail.
Mann also borrowed a book and vintage photos of Public Enemy No. 1 from the Struebigs' collection of gangster memorabilia that adorns the Speakeasy Restaurant and Great Escape lounge within the Hall of Justice Bar. When they bought the old courthouse, "it was deteriorated. It was raining in the ballroom. We restored it as a labor of love. Never did I expect something like this would happen," Philip Struebig said.
Based on the book by Bryan Burrough, the crime drama will bow in 2009. The cast includes Christian Bale as G-man Melvin Purvis, who ambushed Dillinger outside Chicago's Biograph Theatre a few months after he fled the "escape-proof" Lake County Jail. Oscar winner Marion Cotillard, who collected best actress honors for her role as Edith Piaf in "La Mome," has been tapped as Billie Frechette, the gangster's lover and companion. "Public Enemies" will be filmed from March through June in Chicago, Indiana and Wisconsin.
Extra, extra!
Casting agent Joan Philo has issued an all-points bulletin for male reporters and photographers to play paid extras in scenes slated for Hammond, Gary and Crown Point. Also, an open casting call for men, women and children will be Saturday at Lane Tech High School in Chicago. See the Chicago Scene column in the ontheGo section for details.
*The Times*
With Johnny Depp project in hand, legislators look to improve film law
On the heels of an announcement that the latest Johnny Depp feature will be partially filmed in Wisconsin, state legislators are now looking to improve the state's film industry tax incentives law credited for attracting the Depp project.
Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton said Tuesday that State Sen. Jeff Plale (D-South Milwaukee) and State Rep. Pat Strachota (R-West Bend) circulated a bill to improve Wisconsin's Film Production Tax Credit Services Program for co-sponsorship. Lawton, a key supporter of the so-called Film Wisconsin legislation, is urging the Legislature to quickly pass the new bill.
"Today, Governor (Jim) Doyle announced that NBC Universal will bring Johnny Depp, Christian Bale and Michael Mann - not to mention $20 million - to Wisconsin," Lawton said. "I see this as the lead edge of the economic development and jobs coming in response to our film incentives."
The tax incentives offered by the state include a 25 percent credit for production expenses, including wages paid to Wisconsin residents for services and expenses for music, air travel and insurance from state-based providers. Incentives also include a 15 percent credit for equipment purchases primarily used for film production or for acquisition and improvement of real estate for state-based film companies.
The new bipartisan bill would allow film production companies to transfer unused, nonrefundable credits to other taxpayers, such as other film production companies. It would also phase in residency requirements for eligibility of film production employees for tax credits as the talent infrastructure needed for productions fully develops in Wisconsin.
Lawton said: "This bill will improve our potential to capture more film industry jobs for Wisconsin, and I urge the Legislature to move it forward to solidify Wisconsin's competitive position nationally."
'Sweeney Todd' Hits DVD on April First! (No Foolin'.)
Sweeney Todd deserved a better fate. Sure, sure, it's a very fine film -- and that's really all that matters when all is said and done, but I can't help but think its domestic box office tally (just over $50 million) and its Oscar nomination haul (lead actor, art direction and costume design) should have been a little ... well, bigger. But I suppose it's tough to sell a big-budget horror musical, even if it is based on a very popular stage play AND showcases movie star Johnny Depp in a really (ahem) unique light.
Fans of the flick will be pleased to learn that Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street will be available to own (via shiny disc) on the first of April. Choose between a single-disc release (which includes one "making-of" documentary) or a extras-laden double-disc edition that comes with a BUNCH of featurettes, photo galleries, trailers and a Moviefone Unscripted piece, which is cool because we love Moviefone! Neither DVD package will include an audio commentary, unfortunately for those who love audio commentaries. Like me. Oh, but the 2-discer will be making an appearance in my collection. Book that.
[ Thanks to DVDActive.com. Check out the cover art! ]
*cinematical*
Johnny Depp says 'bring it on' to Clooney and Lee Jones
The war of words between this year's Oscar best actor nominees has escalated after Johnny Depp told George Clooney and Tommy Lee Jones that if they want to rumble, rumble they will.
A livid Depp said today outside his former nightclub the Viper Rooms on Sunset Boulevard "Los Putos (Man Whores), Jones and Clooney can kiss my chicano ass. Este es mi calle(this is my street). homes, I am the street here, ese, sabes (you know)?"
Wearing a red bandanna and a white vest Depp was in no mood for playing. "Say hello to my little friend" said Depp, as former Different Strokes actor Gary Coleman walked past the club. "Those beeatches need to be carrying ese, wus up to all my homies in califas, word up hombre, mis hermanos son mal (my brothers are bad asses), entiendo (understand) homes, this is my barrio (turf) ese."
I simply had no idea what Depp was talking about. I thanked him for my taco de harina, or to Americans, burrito and left. At this stage it is not 100% certain why Depp was dressed as a member of the La eMe street gang and speaking in an Mexican accent.
Vitto Mortensen and Daniel Day-Lewis, both threatened previously by Clooney and Lee Jones, who themseleves were speaking like London gangsters on Tuesday, are said to be in hiding. It is not certain at this stage if Day-Lewis will actually attend the Oscar ceremony.
More to come on this on going story I am sure.
*The Spoof*
A livid Depp said today outside his former nightclub the Viper Rooms on Sunset Boulevard "Los Putos (Man Whores), Jones and Clooney can kiss my chicano ass. Este es mi calle(this is my street). homes, I am the street here, ese, sabes (you know)?"
Wearing a red bandanna and a white vest Depp was in no mood for playing. "Say hello to my little friend" said Depp, as former Different Strokes actor Gary Coleman walked past the club. "Those beeatches need to be carrying ese, wus up to all my homies in califas, word up hombre, mis hermanos son mal (my brothers are bad asses), entiendo (understand) homes, this is my barrio (turf) ese."
I simply had no idea what Depp was talking about. I thanked him for my taco de harina, or to Americans, burrito and left. At this stage it is not 100% certain why Depp was dressed as a member of the La eMe street gang and speaking in an Mexican accent.
Vitto Mortensen and Daniel Day-Lewis, both threatened previously by Clooney and Lee Jones, who themseleves were speaking like London gangsters on Tuesday, are said to be in hiding. It is not certain at this stage if Day-Lewis will actually attend the Oscar ceremony.
More to come on this on going story I am sure.
*The Spoof*
Daniel Day Lewis warns Johnny Depp
Daniel Day-Lewis has warned Johnny Depp "Not to try anything on" at next months Oscar ceremony. The warning comes after violent threats made by Johnny Depp, George Clooney and Tommy Lee Jones, to each other and to Day-Lewis.
The fine British actor, favourite to win the oscar said in an Italian American accent "A friend of ours told me that these three cafones have been saying that they will be coming heavy to the oscars. My Consigliere also says that these wise guys have been calling me a jamook. Are they talking to me? Am I clown? Here to amuse them?"
The normally placid Day-Lewis, dressed in a dinner jacket whilst he was gardening continued "I'm a made guy. These chiacchierone are looking to get a Moe Green special. Especially Depp, is he oobatz?"
I found it hard to totally decipher what Daniel was saying so I left him digging three holes. He insisted I kiss his ring though before I left.......
Meanwhile Viggo Mortensen has yet to issue any statement or make any response to the ongoing threats of impending violence.
I am sure though that he will.
*The Spoof!*
The fine British actor, favourite to win the oscar said in an Italian American accent "A friend of ours told me that these three cafones have been saying that they will be coming heavy to the oscars. My Consigliere also says that these wise guys have been calling me a jamook. Are they talking to me? Am I clown? Here to amuse them?"
The normally placid Day-Lewis, dressed in a dinner jacket whilst he was gardening continued "I'm a made guy. These chiacchierone are looking to get a Moe Green special. Especially Depp, is he oobatz?"
I found it hard to totally decipher what Daniel was saying so I left him digging three holes. He insisted I kiss his ring though before I left.......
Meanwhile Viggo Mortensen has yet to issue any statement or make any response to the ongoing threats of impending violence.
I am sure though that he will.
*The Spoof!*
Oscars 2001: Johnny Out of his Depp in Chocolat
Hollywood star Johnny Depp revealed he had to eat so much chocolate for his latest film that he'll never touch it again.
The drama - Chocolat - has been nominated for five Oscars, but Depp said: "If I had any love for chocolate, it was destroyed during the filming of that movie.
"It was kind of rich, dark and very bitter chocolate. "After about seven of them it tends to not have a nice effect." The 37-year-old said he had to keep eating the chocolate as director Lasse Hallstrom shot and re-shot many scenes.
Going into filming, Depp admitted he had a sweet tooth and was looking forward to feasting on the finest chocolates Miramax Films could buy. But things soon changed for Depp, who now lives in France with girlfriend Vanessa Paradis and daughter Lily-Rose Melody.
The film, which is up for Best Picture award at the Oscars on March 25, features Depp as a riverboat gypsy who falls for French chocolate chef Juliette Binoche.
Q&A with Johnny Depp and Tim Burton
Q: What drew you to Sweeney Todd?
TIM BURTON: I was actually involved with this about 10 years ago, maybe even longer. I liked the story and the drama and emotion of it. But then it went away. I always think there’s a weird subconscious reason for everything. Recently, weirdly, I looked at a drawing I did and realised that it looked like Johnny. And I just thought, “Wow!” And then I don’t know how many years ago …
JOHNNY DEPP: Five, six years ago, I guess …
TB: I sent him the CD [of the musical]. And then Johnny was like,“Great, great, great.” And everybody was, “Yeah, great.” And then it was, “Um, can he sing?” Nobody knew. I didn’t know. That’s the joke of the whole thing and in a way, that’s the surreal nature of Hollywood. You have to love it for that because on paper it’s like the worst idea of all time (laughs).
Q: Johnny, there’s a whole mythology around the character, about whether he was based on someone real. Did you use any of that?JD: I read all that stuff and there was part of me that wanted him to be a real guy. But it’s not the case. And, essentially, you read all of that stuff so you can throw it away, so you can be aware of it and toss it. Basically, the character came from conversations with Tim.
TB: He is the old horror-movie actor.
JD: These horror-movie actors kept coming to mind, these iconic figures, and that’s where Sweeney Todd lives.
TB: You see Peter Lorre in Mad Love or Boris Karloff or Lon Chaney, all those old classic monsters … it’s an image and we just felt like that was what this character is about. You could see him in a wax museum. It’s a certain look, a certain feel, and it’s always exciting.
Q: Johnny, when Tim first mentioned the prospect of singing on film to you, did you get the idea immediately?
JD: Oh, yeah! But I didn’t know if I was going to be able to actually sing. I wasn’t sure.
TB: I haven’t got a huge knowledge of musicals, but I do know that this is a very hard musical and what I love about it is the fact that Johnny and everybody in it isn’t a singer. There’s one actress who is a singer, but nobody else has sung in their lives.
JD: (Laughing) It’s going to be great!
TB: I think it brings an interesting tone to it.
JD: Everybody was great — Helena [Bonham Carter] was unbelievable, Sacha [Baron Cohen] was great. He can sing.
TB: Alan Rickman — great ... It’s exciting to hear a duet between Johnny and Alan Rickman. It’s just surreal. I mean, who would ever think about that?
JD: And it’s also really cool because Alan and I did a duet before we ever met!
Q: So you recorded the music first so that you had it to play back on set?TB: Yeah, and that was an aspect of it that was really fun. It was like making a silent movie and having music on the set. It was fascinating for me to watch the actors ... You just move differently when you are hearing music. I would consider doing it even when I wasn’t making a musical now, because it’s fascinating.
Q: Johnny, did you sing along with yourself again when you were doing a take?JD: Unfortunately, yes (laughs).
Q: How extensive was Stephen Sondheim’s involvement in the film?
TB: He’s a really smart, talented person and he’s been very respectful of the process. Like me, he loved the idea of Johnny but he had never heard him sing. I think he’s a movie fan, so I think he understands that there’s a difference between what you might do on stage versus a movie.
Q: Sweeney Todd is a very dark character, to state the obvious, but there’s also humour and pathos to him, isn’t there?JD: He’s misunderstood (laughs).
TB: It’s a tragic love story.
JD: He’s actually horribly misunderstood because really he’s a very sweet guy.
TB: He’s a damaged individual.
JD: He’s basically been dead since his life was taken away from him all those years before.
TB: : He’s Dead Man Walking …
JD: It’s the only reason he has continued breathing, to wreak vengeance!
TB: There’s something very real about it, too. Obviously, it’s fantasy and he looks strange and all of that, but what I love about it is there’s something very primal and just real about the character.*The Times*
Johnny Depp Nominated for Actor in a Lead Role in “Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street” at 80TH Academy Awards
Johnny Depp will be looking to capture his first Academy Award on Feb. 24 after earning a nomination for Actor in a Lead Role for his performance in “Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street.’
Depp plays the title character, Sweeney Todd, who unleashes a murderous assault against a variety of clients who sit in his barber’s chair.
Twice Depp has been nominated for an Oscar, “Finding Neverland” and “Pirates of the
Joining Depp in the list of nominees for Actor in a Lead Role are George Clooney, “Michael Clayton”; Daniel Day-Lewis, “There Will Be Blood”; Tommy Lee Jones, “In the Valley of Elah”; and Viggo Mortensen, “Eastern Promises.”
*TransWorldNews*
Depp's Doppelganger Doing Boffo Business
After wrapping up his busiest month yet as a Johnny Depp impersonator, 44-year-old showbiz veteran Danny Lopez is finding this gig more profitable than those involving a Beatle, a Monkey and a Rolling Stone.It’s a rare thing for someone who looks so much like a celebrity that they can earn a living impersonating them to be born on the exact same date as their famous quarry. But that’s the case with 44-year-old Great Falls, Montana resident Danny Lopez, who was born on June 9th, 1963, the same date as actor Johnny Depp. January, 2008 was Lopez’s busiest month ever as a Depp impersonator, with twelve corporate appearances for companies such as Hyatt and Carfax.com. He’s also appearing this week on a series of special male vs. female celebrity impersonator episodes of the syndicated TV game show Family Feud. And he will certainly get some attention this coming summer with a cameo in the Steve Carell comedy Get Smart; he plays a car wash worker who looks like… Johnny Depp. This is not the first go-round at celebrity impersonation for Lopez, who filmed his first TV commercial when he was seven. Before he hit his stride with Depp duty, Lopez was a member of three different rock’n roll tribute bands: Backbeat (as George Harrison), The Missing Links (as Davey Jones) and Satisfaction (as Keith Richards). That’s right, in the second irony to go along with the birthday date overlap, Lopez has played both Depp and his infamous Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End cameo co-star Richards. It was in fact the Harrison gig that led to the Depp one, as fans at concerts kept telling him that, in that garb, he looked more like Depp. Lopez also knows a celebrity or two himself. According to the Great Falls Tribune, it was actor Dennis Quaid who recommended that the southern California native, tired of the hectic pace of life there, buy a house in Big Country. Lopez tells the paper he has yet to meet Depp, but the actor is apparently aware of his lookalike shadow. Up next for Lopez is a February 22nd taped appearance on The Maury Povich show, some weekend work at one of the casinos in Cripple Creek, CO and a tentatively booked engagement at an Academy Awards party in Los Angeles on Sunday.
*FilmStew.com*
Fort Lauderdale band pal helped Johnny Depp sharpen singing skills
OK, you never heard of Bruce Witkin.
But if you're watching the Academy Awards on Sunday, you might hear his name.
Johnny Depp — a pal of Witkin's — credits the South Florida native with helping him find his vocal groove.
No small feat when you consider Depp, 44 — who'd never sung a note previously — snagged a Golden Globe and is nominated for an Oscar for his singing performance in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.Having accepted the title role, Depp called Witkin with a plea to help ascertain if he was capable of pulling it off, because directorTim Burton didn't want his actors to lip sync. After privately recording a demo of Depp singing the showcase number My Friends in his Los Angeles studio, Witkin said there was no doubt.
In the film's production notes, Depp admits, "That was the first song I ever sang in my life."
Working from a Broadway cast recording, the two men were forced to pick Stephen Sondheim's demanding melodies apart on the piano and rely on their ears for the vocal lines because neither reads music.
"If there was a long note Johnny needed to hit, he would just get it up and hit it," said Witkin, a 45-year-old sound engineer who records and produces under his own Unison Music label. "To see someone like Johnny, who had never sung before, come into my studio so prepared really blew me away."
Witkin and Depp's friendship dates to 1980, when both played in aFort Lauderdale garage band called the Kids.
They were so young they often had to sneak in the back doors of clubs — the Button South, the Tree House, the Play Pen and the Candy Store — to play.
"I was the vocalist and played bass; Johnny was our guitarist," recalled Witkin, who dropped out of Hollywood High — with the permission of his mother, a local band manager — to pursue his music career.
"Those early days were a lot of fun and fruitful for guys of our age. We were pulling in around $50 a night between four of us, and we were playing shows and we were surviving."
Depp calls Witkin "a brother." In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he said, "We worked in bands together, we were on the road together. We lived together when we were teenagers. His mom was basically my second mom." Indeed, last year, at a charity concert in memory of Sheila Witkin, Depp turned up at Club Cinema inPompano Beach to reunite with his Kids band mates.
After heading to Los Angeles to seek their fortunes, the Kids — a punk/new-wave outfit whose sound was a mix of Ramones, XTC and other '70s-'80s bands of that ilk — survived for a few months before breaking up in 1984, whereupon Depp went into acting. That same year he appeared in A Nightmare on Elm Street — and the rest is box office history.
Witkin continued making music.
He played on bills withAdam Ant , the Romantics, the Pretenders, U2, the Ramones, the B-52's, REM, Chuck Berry , and made an album of his own. But somehow he never hit it big.
"Johnny and I reconnected in 2000, when I started working and touring with his girlfriend Vanessa Paradis, a talented French singer," he said.
Will Witkin's work with Depp in Sweeney Todd open new doors?
"I did it because Johnny's my friend and I wanted him to come out sounding great," Witkin said. "He put this in my hands — and he trusted me with his voice. My goal was for him to be happy with the result.
"I think I succeeded."
Patricia Towle is a freelance writer in Lantana.
*Sun-Sentinel.com*
But if you're watching the Academy Awards on Sunday, you might hear his name.
No small feat when you consider Depp, 44 — who'd never sung a note previously — snagged a Golden Globe and is nominated for an Oscar for his singing performance in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.Having accepted the title role, Depp called Witkin with a plea to help ascertain if he was capable of pulling it off, because director
In the film's production notes, Depp admits, "That was the first song I ever sang in my life."
Working from a Broadway cast recording, the two men were forced to pick Stephen Sondheim's demanding melodies apart on the piano and rely on their ears for the vocal lines because neither reads music.
"If there was a long note Johnny needed to hit, he would just get it up and hit it," said Witkin, a 45-year-old sound engineer who records and produces under his own Unison Music label. "To see someone like Johnny, who had never sung before, come into my studio so prepared really blew me away."
Witkin and Depp's friendship dates to 1980, when both played in a
They were so young they often had to sneak in the back doors of clubs — the Button South, the Tree House, the Play Pen and the Candy Store — to play.
"I was the vocalist and played bass; Johnny was our guitarist," recalled Witkin, who dropped out of Hollywood High — with the permission of his mother, a local band manager — to pursue his music career.
"Those early days were a lot of fun and fruitful for guys of our age. We were pulling in around $50 a night between four of us, and we were playing shows and we were surviving."
Depp calls Witkin "a brother." In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he said, "We worked in bands together, we were on the road together. We lived together when we were teenagers. His mom was basically my second mom." Indeed, last year, at a charity concert in memory of Sheila Witkin, Depp turned up at Club Cinema in
After heading to Los Angeles to seek their fortunes, the Kids — a punk/new-wave outfit whose sound was a mix of Ramones, XTC and other '70s-'80s bands of that ilk — survived for a few months before breaking up in 1984, whereupon Depp went into acting. That same year he appeared in A Nightmare on Elm Street — and the rest is box office history.
Witkin continued making music.
He played on bills with
"Johnny and I reconnected in 2000, when I started working and touring with his girlfriend Vanessa Paradis, a talented French singer," he said.
Will Witkin's work with Depp in Sweeney Todd open new doors?
"I did it because Johnny's my friend and I wanted him to come out sounding great," Witkin said. "He put this in my hands — and he trusted me with his voice. My goal was for him to be happy with the result.
"I think I succeeded."
Patricia Towle is a freelance writer in Lantana.
*Sun-Sentinel.com*
Johnny Depp mocks his fans in public
Nasty pirate, Johnny Depp, has mocked his fans, the world famous 'Depp Heads', at a bar in the South of France according to reports circulating on the Cote d'Azur.
Depp, who had been drinking with his good friend Orlando Bloom at the Cristal bar located in Cap d'Antibes became agitated after Bloom praised his fans "You know they are a good bunch" said Bloom "I am proud to have a fan club - those kids appreciate my work and idolise me, they don't bother me in public. I love them."
Depp reacted furiously to Bloom's statement of affection towards the 'Bloomers', his army of fans. "My fans? Fuck 'em," sneered Depp staring angrily into his empty glass. "They have no sense of humour the rancid twats," he said in a faux English accent. "Those Depp Heads can't see what they are doing. They are reflecting on me. I'm a funny guy right? Talented actor right? Why are my fans so asinine? (look it up Depp Heads)."
Depp was of course referring to a spoof article written about him that has had an amazing 225 ratings. All 1's. "The story wasn't bad, probably a 2.5 maybe a 2" said Depp "but oh no, those leaches, those so called 'fans' give it a 1 - so now what? More stories about me being a 'wanker' no doubt."
Dead right Mr Depp.
*The Spoof!*
Depp, who had been drinking with his good friend Orlando Bloom at the Cristal bar located in Cap d'Antibes became agitated after Bloom praised his fans "You know they are a good bunch" said Bloom "I am proud to have a fan club - those kids appreciate my work and idolise me, they don't bother me in public. I love them."
Depp reacted furiously to Bloom's statement of affection towards the 'Bloomers', his army of fans. "My fans? Fuck 'em," sneered Depp staring angrily into his empty glass. "They have no sense of humour the rancid twats," he said in a faux English accent. "Those Depp Heads can't see what they are doing. They are reflecting on me. I'm a funny guy right? Talented actor right? Why are my fans so asinine? (look it up Depp Heads)."
Depp was of course referring to a spoof article written about him that has had an amazing 225 ratings. All 1's. "The story wasn't bad, probably a 2.5 maybe a 2" said Depp "but oh no, those leaches, those so called 'fans' give it a 1 - so now what? More stories about me being a 'wanker' no doubt."
Dead right Mr Depp.
*The Spoof!*
Oscars Best Actor - Johnny Depp
Johnny DeppAge:
44
Role:
Sweeney Todd in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
Character:
Adopting the guise of Sweeney Todd Baker returns to his old barber shop above Mrs Lovett’s pie making premises and sets his sights on Judge Turpin who stole his wife and baby daughter.
Previous Oscar Wins:
None
Previous Oscar Nominations:
Two - 2003 Best Actor for Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl.
-2004 Best Actor for Finding Neverland.
Awards for Role:
Depp won Best actor in a Musical or Comedy at the Golden Globes.
Critics:
‘Depp is such a soulful presence he gives you a glimpse of this maniac's pain and pathos.’ Newsweek
‘A thoughtful, sincere and moving film, buttressed by a fine, central performance by an actor at the top of his form.’ Time Out
‘Sweeney Todd is a thriller-diller from start to finish: scary, monstrously funny and melodically thrilling. And Depp is simply stupendous.’ Rolling Stone
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw
Johnny Depp gushes about fatherhood
Johnny Depp, 44, might've been a demon in his latest movie Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street but in real life, he is a doting father to daughter Lily-Rose Melody, 8 ½, and son Jack, 5 ½. He talked to Life & Style about fatherhood and relationship with his partner of 10 years, Vanessa Paradis, 35.Q: You’re such a famous actor — how important is your family in keeping you grounded?
A: My family is my sanctuary. I live for them. I finally found a reason to exist in this world. There’s nothing like it. I would give away everything if I could only keep my family. They have given me life, and they’re the greatest gift in the world.
Q: How do you keep your romance with Vanessa so strong?
A: I think trust is the most important thing in a relationship, along with the ability to communicate honestly with each other. Once communication stops, that waylays danger.
Q: You and Vanessa never married — do you think you will at some point?
A: We have considered ourselves husband and wife since the day we moved in together. We just haven’t gone through the formality.
Q: How do you feel about having to raise your children in today’s uncertain world?
A: As a parent, my job, besides giving them love and education, is to protect them by not allowing the harsh realities and difficulties of our world into theirs. You’ve got these pure, innocent little things, and all they want is love and happiness.
Q: You move around with your family a lot, having lived in LA and France. Have you always been such a free spirit?
A: Yes. It has to do with my upbringing. I don’t like to be stuck in one place for too long. We were total nomads when I was growing up. We traveled around all the time. It’s ingrained in my being. I think it’s good for kids to get out there and see the world.
Q: You’ve been working a lot lately. What would be your dream vacation?
A: Running around on the beach with the kids and taking them out on the boat. I want to take them swimming with dolphins, though hopefully not with sharks!
How Johnny Depp became the world's most desireable man
'Idiot," Johnny Depp likes to joke, is the German translation of his surname. The swooned-over film actor, who picked up his first Golden Globe for his all-singing portrayal of Sweeney Todd, has, over a 24-year career, gained a reputation for playing the outsiders, rejects and oddballs - the idiots. Big-bucks, twinkly-eyed romantic leads have never held any allure.
Instead, Depp has transmogrified into pallid Edward Scissorhands, kohl-eyed pirate Captain Jack Sparrow and Cry-Baby Walker, the delinquent of John Waters' 1990 Cry-Baby. He has cross-dressed in Before Night Falls and Ed Wood, shaving his legs for the latter.
"I always thought it'd be interesting to see them all in the same room together," Depp says of his characters.
Tim Burton, who's directed Depp six times, describes him as a risk-taker. "He could've gone and made millions as this great-looking lead guy. But no." Depp turned down leads in Speed and Interview With A Vampire, but he's not in penury: he picked up $20-million for each his Pirates Of The Caribbean films, and smaller movies reputedly start at $8-million.
With the straggly beard, skull rings, nerd specs, fedora, leather jackets or Rat Pack suits, Depp doesn't have the clean-cut appeal of a Pitt or a Cruise. His is "a delicate beauty that's startling, perhaps more so for being intermittent ... with a tilt of the head, impossibly handsome," according to Franz Lidz in the New York Times.
On celluloid, Depp does not exude menace or muscularity, but rather a lightness and naturalness. "Johnny doesn't rely on tricks, his acting is about ease and intuition," says Lasse Hallström, who directed him in Chocolat and What's Eating Gilbert Grape?
After the success of the Pirates films, Depp is now a blue-chip Hollywood name with indie appeal. He doesn't play the La-La land games and claims not to have seen the final version of many of his films: "Once my job is done, it's none of my business. I walk away."
In 1983, Depp escaped to LA and joined the Loft Studio school to take acting lessons, but dropped out to concentrate on his band, The Kids. The Kids were successful enough to support the Talking Heads and the B-52s, but Depp was still forced to find sales work. "We sold ink pens. I'd met Nicolas Cage who was, like, a friend of a couple of friends. And he told me one day, 'You should try acting or whatever'."
Depp went to see Cage's agent and, in 1984, landed his first significant role, in Wes Craven's Nightmare On Elm Street, playing a boy who was swallowed by a bed, and he made $1 200 a week . That was followed, in 1986, by a role as a Vietnamese-speaking private in Platoon. But TV gave Depp his big break, as an undercover cop at a high school in 21 Jump Street.
The teen idol image was all but forgotten after his first movie with Burton, Edward Scissorhands. But, even as Depp chalked up critically acclaimed roles in Gilbert Grape and Benny & Joon, he took more drugs. "It was anything I could stuff into my system to medicate, self-medicate, or numb myself," he admits.
The role of Ed Wood, another Burton project, was for Depp "the rocket ship that took me away from that horrible black bleak time". So convincing was his female impersonation, Depp was reportedly considered as the first transvestite cover girl of US Vogue.
During the late '90s, he starred in Don Juan DeMarco, Donnie Brasco, Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas, Sleepy Hollow and Chocolat. In 2001, he played the 1970s cocaine kingpin George Jung. Then came a curious career transition. From that seedy role, Depp moved into the world of Disney, starring as Jack Sparrow in the first Pirates movie in 2003. More than that, fatherhood altered his tastes. "I thought it'd be great to make a movie my kids could watch."
Sweeney Todd, which opens tomorrow, has been hailed as the Burton-Depp relationship at its best. Even Depp's singing has mostly been praised; only the New Yorker's Anthony Lane dismissed his warblings as a "Bowie impression".
If there is criticism of Depp's work as an actor, it is that his weirdos are so emotionally guarded that we never get beneath their skin. "For me, it seems he's been hiding a bit beneath eccentrics and outcasts," says Hallström.
For all his rebellious instincts, Depp is uncomfortable with political statement. In 2003, he tried to withdraw quotes that criticised the Iraq war - dismissing America as "a dumb puppy that has big teeth" - given to Stern magazine in 2003.
Perhaps that attitude will have to change: Depp's production company has bought the rights to the story of the Litvinenko poisoning.
If all else fails, he's kept the scissorhand gloves. "In a couple of years, I may be doing birthday parties at McDonald's - as Edward. You know, $200 a party."
Idiot? Hardly. - The Independent
*tonight*
Instead, Depp has transmogrified into pallid Edward Scissorhands, kohl-eyed pirate Captain Jack Sparrow and Cry-Baby Walker, the delinquent of John Waters' 1990 Cry-Baby. He has cross-dressed in Before Night Falls and Ed Wood, shaving his legs for the latter.
"I always thought it'd be interesting to see them all in the same room together," Depp says of his characters.
Tim Burton, who's directed Depp six times, describes him as a risk-taker. "He could've gone and made millions as this great-looking lead guy. But no." Depp turned down leads in Speed and Interview With A Vampire, but he's not in penury: he picked up $20-million for each his Pirates Of The Caribbean films, and smaller movies reputedly start at $8-million.
With the straggly beard, skull rings, nerd specs, fedora, leather jackets or Rat Pack suits, Depp doesn't have the clean-cut appeal of a Pitt or a Cruise. His is "a delicate beauty that's startling, perhaps more so for being intermittent ... with a tilt of the head, impossibly handsome," according to Franz Lidz in the New York Times.
On celluloid, Depp does not exude menace or muscularity, but rather a lightness and naturalness. "Johnny doesn't rely on tricks, his acting is about ease and intuition," says Lasse Hallström, who directed him in Chocolat and What's Eating Gilbert Grape?
After the success of the Pirates films, Depp is now a blue-chip Hollywood name with indie appeal. He doesn't play the La-La land games and claims not to have seen the final version of many of his films: "Once my job is done, it's none of my business. I walk away."
In 1983, Depp escaped to LA and joined the Loft Studio school to take acting lessons, but dropped out to concentrate on his band, The Kids. The Kids were successful enough to support the Talking Heads and the B-52s, but Depp was still forced to find sales work. "We sold ink pens. I'd met Nicolas Cage who was, like, a friend of a couple of friends. And he told me one day, 'You should try acting or whatever'."
Depp went to see Cage's agent and, in 1984, landed his first significant role, in Wes Craven's Nightmare On Elm Street, playing a boy who was swallowed by a bed, and he made $1 200 a week . That was followed, in 1986, by a role as a Vietnamese-speaking private in Platoon. But TV gave Depp his big break, as an undercover cop at a high school in 21 Jump Street.
The teen idol image was all but forgotten after his first movie with Burton, Edward Scissorhands. But, even as Depp chalked up critically acclaimed roles in Gilbert Grape and Benny & Joon, he took more drugs. "It was anything I could stuff into my system to medicate, self-medicate, or numb myself," he admits.
The role of Ed Wood, another Burton project, was for Depp "the rocket ship that took me away from that horrible black bleak time". So convincing was his female impersonation, Depp was reportedly considered as the first transvestite cover girl of US Vogue.
During the late '90s, he starred in Don Juan DeMarco, Donnie Brasco, Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas, Sleepy Hollow and Chocolat. In 2001, he played the 1970s cocaine kingpin George Jung. Then came a curious career transition. From that seedy role, Depp moved into the world of Disney, starring as Jack Sparrow in the first Pirates movie in 2003. More than that, fatherhood altered his tastes. "I thought it'd be great to make a movie my kids could watch."
Sweeney Todd, which opens tomorrow, has been hailed as the Burton-Depp relationship at its best. Even Depp's singing has mostly been praised; only the New Yorker's Anthony Lane dismissed his warblings as a "Bowie impression".
If there is criticism of Depp's work as an actor, it is that his weirdos are so emotionally guarded that we never get beneath their skin. "For me, it seems he's been hiding a bit beneath eccentrics and outcasts," says Hallström.
For all his rebellious instincts, Depp is uncomfortable with political statement. In 2003, he tried to withdraw quotes that criticised the Iraq war - dismissing America as "a dumb puppy that has big teeth" - given to Stern magazine in 2003.
Perhaps that attitude will have to change: Depp's production company has bought the rights to the story of the Litvinenko poisoning.
If all else fails, he's kept the scissorhand gloves. "In a couple of years, I may be doing birthday parties at McDonald's - as Edward. You know, $200 a party."
Idiot? Hardly. - The Independent
*tonight*
CurbedWire: Johnny Depp, The Carpenters, Affordable Housing
DOWNTOWN - Confirmed! Maybe. A reader sends in a second hand report of a scruffy individual at the Eastern Columbia. "Yes, Johnny Depp does live in the Eastern Columbia. One of my profs lives there as well and she saw him in the lobby. Scruffy, unshaven, but unmistakably Depp."
*Curbed*
Public Enemies starring Johnny Depp to hold extras casting call in Madison
Public Enemies, the Depression-era gangster film that is being produced and directed by University of Wisconsin alumnus Michael Mann this spring, will hold an open casting call for extras in at Monona Terrace in Madison on Saturday, February 16. This follows a casting call for vintage cars that was held at the Overture Center in late January. Needless to say, excitement among movie fans and hopefuls in town is building.
The film, which stars Johnny Depp (as John Dillinger), Christian Bale (as FBI agent Melvin Purvis), and Marion Cotillard (as Billie Frechette), among others, will be shooting in Chicago and around Wisconsin this spring. Locations in the state are set to include Manitowish Waters and Richland Center, with others sites scouted over the last month including Oshkosh, Milwaukee, Baraboo, and the Capitol in downtown Madison. Now the production is searching for people in the region to work as paid non-speaking extras for these shoots, with the open casting call from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday at Monona Terrace.
"We are shooting in the Wisconsin area and need people with great faces for this 1930s period film," begins an announcement from the extras casting agent. "We are currently looking for men no taller than 6'1", women should be no taller than 5'8", and no larger than a size 12. We are also looking for children of all ages."
Hopefuls attending the casting call are also recommended to arrive dressed in specific outfits, detailed in the announcement:
Men: Dark to medium suit, tie, and an overcoat (not brown) and dress shoes. As this is a period piece, it is very important that your hair be kept long; therefore do not cut your hair. If you have long hair, pull back in a ponytail.Applicants are also requested to bring a recent color photo and a pen to fill out a registration form.
Women: Dark to medium dress and skirt and sweater, overcoat and pumps (med heel). Set hair in curlers the night before and arrive with hair brushed out.
The extras casting is being conducted by Joan Philo Casting of Chicago. She has cast extras in a large number of films shot in that city and around the Midwest, including The Dark Knight, Fred Claus, Flags of Our Fathers, Stranger Than Fiction, Batman Begins, and High Fidelity, as well as the 2001 Micheal Mann film Ali and the 1996 action flick Chain Reaction, which was shot partially in Madison. More details about Philo’s work can be found on her IMDB profile.
Philo has published a notice about the extras casting for Public Enemies online, noting that the film will be shot from mid-March through June. As she details in this announcement:
Buckle up, we're due for an amazing ride!
Are you ready? Here we go...
... Public Enemies is a "period" feature film, circa early 1930s. You know what this means period hair styles and wardrobe fittings -- guys please keep your hair long -- do not cut it!! Women will need to have period hair styles -- Everyone that will be cast will need to attend a wardrobe fitting. The fitting usually takes a few hours -- you'll be fit in an outfit and also be looked at by the hair department. Haircuts will most likely happen at the wardrobe fitting. The fitting usually happens a week or so before your day on set.
I am looking for a core group of extras (non-speaking roles) that will be able to work many days. So let me know if this might be you! I'm also searching for people that might be available for one or two days. These are paid extras positions. Rate TBD.
Being that this is a period film we need to find people that are able to fit into the period wardrobe. There are size requirements!
MEN need to be 6'1" and under and WOMEN 5'8" and under (no larger than a size 12), all ages (including children) in order to be considered.
*KIDS: I only consider casting kids that have current work permits on file with Joan Philo Casting. Casting children goes down fast. I mean super fast. They might call me the night before a shoot and ask for a child of a certain age. I run to my kids' files and pull any child that has a work permit. Don't miss out because your child doesn't have a work permit! (I know that getting a work permit takes effort and I appreciate that this is done in the hopes of getting cast, thank you!)
We start shooting in mid-March and shoot through June 2008. I will be holding open casting calls soon! Stay tuned.
We will be shooting in Chicago and on location in Wisconsin (various towns). We will have open casting calls in Chicago for our Chicago extras and in Wisconsin for our Wisconsin extras...
Philo goes on to give advice to aspiring extras, her first and foremost point being that film shoots can be exceedingly long and boring, and that patience is a virtue. "Never ask on set, or at a wardrobe fitting, when you can go home -- this is quite the uncomfortable question and will make you look ill-prepared,' she notes. "Please don't ask."
*The Daily Page*Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law to Help Finish Heath Ledger's Last Role
Three actors are reportedly set to take over Heath Ledger's role in The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, the film the actor was working on at the time of his tragic death in January.
Website Ain't it Cool News claims that director Terry Gilliam has cast Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law in the film and all will play Tony, the same character Ledger was playing prior to his death. The changes in the character's appearance will be attributed to the magical nature of the film.
Ain't it Cool also reports that Depp, Farrell and Law will pay a final tribute to Ledger by tailoring their performances into interpretations of his own.
Ledger died on January 22 in New York City of an accidental drug overdose. He was 28 years old.
Depp fans in deep over possibility that actor could be filming here
Even beneath Jack Sparrow's smoky eyeliner and mangy dreadlocks and Sweeney Todd's severe white complexion and sunken dead eyes, Johnny Depp unassumingly lights fires.
"He's really hot in a really (messed) up way," fan Stephanie Brehmer, 25, said.
The Oshkosh woman and her sister, Beth Mueller, chatted recently at the Otter Street Fisheree, unabashedly gushing about the 43-year-old actor and sharing excitement over the possibility that he and fellow heartthrob Christian Bale soon could be visiting Oshkosh if it's confirmed that Universal Pictures' "Public Enemies" will shoot scenes in downtown Oshkosh in the spring.
"He's so skinny now, though. But he acclimates to every character really well," Brehmer said, trying to put a finger on just where Depp's star power stems from.
Mueller, 24, interjected simply, "He's just hot. And it's probably the fact that he can do completely different movies — crazy parts. He's the only actor that can do that."
Johnny Depp fever has been building in Wisconsin since January, when word first leaked out that production scout Robert Medcraft had toured the First National Bank Building, Grand Opera House and the Oshkosh Northwestern building as potential sites for filming bank robbery scenes for "Public Enemies." The city and the nation will know in a few weeks whether Oshkosh will be one of several Wisconsin spots to see film crews lining the streets.
Julie Schaus said if she ever got the chance to meet Depp face to face, the Fond du Lac resident and enthusiastic Depp fan probably would just blush, giggle and be too shy to take his picture. Though she wouldn't call herself a would-be stalker, Schaus says she plasters pictures of the actor around her desk at work.
"I get giddy. I don't know, I act like a little kid, and my friends get a good kick out of it," she said. "I keep telling everyone, 'This is my year,' because the chances of him coming anywhere around here to film a movie are just rare."
Where Depp may be seen as maniacally unconventional, in real life and onscreen, it's only served to fuel his appeal with diehard fans like Schaus and those of the teenage- to middle-age persuasion, local film experts say.
UW-Oshkosh radio, TV and film professor Doug Heil said people have always been drawn to actors who embody that provocative, bad-boy persona.
"Johnny Depp's appeal also draws from the quality of being 'dangerous' … on multiple levels," Heil said. "He gravitates toward dangerous filmmakers — people like Tim Burton, Jim Jarmusch, Terry Gilliam and Robert Rodriguez — who take chances with their work."
The actor's also known for boldly tackling non-prescriptive roles like Willy Wonka, Captain Jack and the recent Sweeney Todd.
"He opts for characters burdened with internal conflict, where baggage and demons bottled up inside waylay the goals being pursued," Heil said. "Most of us have our own baggage we're sorting through, so his characters resonate with us."
Merlaine Angwall, a 10-year UW-Oshkosh acting and directing professor, said it isn't just about mysterious good looks, though that helps in Hollywood.
"Certain stars or actors, they get to be great because they really are talented and do possess an ability to act — unlike Paris Hilton who's famous for no reason," she said. "People like them because they believe them in roles they play."
Depp and Bale instantly give "Public Enemies" a certain recognition, likely meaning they could bring paparazzi, national media and obsessed fans to wherever filming goes down.
"You're going to have the crazy ones come out, clearly you will," Schaus said. "But I just think it's a great opportunity, very exciting for Wisconsin and extremely exciting for me."
Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle confirmed last month to The Associated Press that NBC Universal committed to Wisconsin as a scene for parts of the film.
It's the first major production to come to Wisconsin since tax incentives for the film industry took effect Jan. 1.
At a glance
Johnny Depp
Birthday: John Christopher Depp was born June 9, 1963, in Owensboro, Kent.
Early starts: Depp debuted onscreen in "A Nightmare on Elm Street" as Glen Lantz (1984).
Star power: Depp received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1999, won 27 awards and has been nominated for three Oscars.
Depp in action: "Cry-Baby" and "Edward Scissorhands" (1990), "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" (1993), "Sleepy Hallow" (1999), "Blow" (2001), "Secret Window" and "The Libertine" (2004), "Pirates of the Caribbean" trilogy (2006, 2007), "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" (2007). "
Christian Bale
Birthday: Christian Charles Philip Bale was born Jan. 30, 1974, in Wales.
Early starts: Bale got his start opposite British comedian Rowan Atkinson on London's West End stage (1987).
Star power: Bale has eight wins and 15 nominations from the likes of MTV Movie and Screen Actors Guild awards.
Bale in action: "Empire of the Sun" (1987), "Newsies" (1992), "Little Women" (1994), "American Psycho" (2000), "Harsh Times" (2005), "Batman Begins" (2005), "Rescue Dawn" and "The Prestige" (2006) and "3:10 to Yuma" (2007).Source: The Internet Movie Database (www.IMDb.com)
Longoria-Parker dreams of role with Depp
Actress Eva Longoria Parker is desperate to have an on-screen romance with Johnny Depp - branding the Pirates Of The Caribbean actor "beautiful".
The Desperate Housewives star insists the Hollywood hunk would hit the top of her list if she could have a romantic encounter with a celebrity heartthrob of her choice.
But the 32-year-old fears she would be intimidated by his matinee idol looks - insisting she'd be too nervous to work with him.
She says, "Johnny Depp. But I'd probably be too nervous to talk to him because he's so beautiful..."
Bay City Motors to get a spot on the big screen
A Bay City beauty has arrived in Chicago and is being prepped for her big-screen debut opposite Johnny Depp.
A 1935 Hudson Terraplane, purchased from the Bay City Motor Company, left town earlier this month and is being overhauled for use in the film "Public Enemies," with shooting set to begin March 10.
The car will lose her burgundy hues and be painted black and tan to emulate the Depression-era vehicle that was used as a getaway car by the legendary gangster John Dillinger, said David F. Cotten, managing partner of the motor company.
The car features a 330-horsepower engine and three-speed manual transmission with overdrive. The original instruments include a speedometer that goes up to 100 mph, a clock and an a.m. radio.
The Universal Studio's production is tentatively set for a 2009 release and will feature the antics of Dillinger, Babyface Nelson and Pretty Boy Floyd.
Nominee Spotlight: Johnny Depp
He's played Ichabod Crane, Willy Wonka, Raul Duke and Don Juan DeMarco.
And those eclectic characters arguably don't even rate among Johnny Depp's five best performances.
Now 44, Depp has his third Best Actor nomination this year as a result of his madcap sixth collaboration with filmmaker Tim Burton. The bizarre envelope-pushing duo have given us a quirky masterpiece with Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street, and here's a celebration of the Oscar-nominated role -- the role that made Depp sing.
Read on to meet the demon himself.
*rediff news*
Johnny Depp stays top earner in Hollywood in 2007
Johnny Depp has been voted the Top Money-Making Star of 2007 thanks to his performances in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
Depp earned the accolade in The Quigley Poll, an annual survey of motion picture exhibitors conducted every year since 1932, which asks the cinema owners to vote for the ten stars that they believe generated the most box-office revenue in the preceding year for their theatres. Depp was first in 2006 and was second to Tom Cruise in 2005.
Will Smith, who starred in I Am Legend, finished second in the voting followed by George Clooney (Michael Clayton and Ocean's Thirteen) and Matt Damon (The Bourne Ultimatum and Ocean's Thirteen). Denzel Washington (The Great Debaters and American Gangster) was fifth and Russell Crowe (American Gangster and 3:10 to Yuma) was sixth.
Shia LaBeouf (Transformers, Disturbia) and Ellen Page (Juno) were named the Stars of Tomorrow, the actors most likely to dominate the box office in years to come.
Top Ten Money Making Stars of 2007
1. Johnny Depp2. Will Smith
3. George Clooney
4. Matt Damon
5. Denzel Washington
6. Russell Crowe
7. Tom Cruise
8. Nicholas Cage
9. Will Ferrell
*Hindustan Times*
City swoons over possibility of stars in town for movie shoot
"He's really hot in a really (messed) up way," said thoughtful fan Stephanie Brehmer, 25.
The Oshkosh woman and her sister, Beth Mueller, chatted last week with friends at the Otter Street Fisheree, unabashedly gushing about the 43-year-old actor and sharing excitement over the possibility that he and fellow heartthrob Christian Bale could soon be visiting Oshkosh if it's confirmed that Universal Pictures' "Public Enemies" will shoot scenes downtown this spring.
"He's so skinny now, though. But he acclimates to every character really well," Brehmer said, trying to put a finger on just where Depp's star power stems from.
Sister Beth Mueller, 24, interjected simply, "He's just hot. And it's probably the fact that he can do completely different movies – crazy parts. He's, like, the only actor that can do that."
Star struck
Johnny Depp fever has been building in Oshkosh and Wisconsin since January, when word first leaked out that production scout Robert Medcraft had toured the First National Bank Building, Grand Opera House and Oshkosh Northwestern as potential sites for filming "Public Enemies" bank robbery scenes. The city and the nation will know in a few weeks whether Oshkosh will be one of several Wisconsin spots to see film crews lining the streets.
Julie Schaus said if she ever got the chance to meet Depp face to face, the Fond du Lac resident and overtly enthusiastic fan probably would just blush, giggle and be too shy to take his picture.
Though she wouldn't call herself a would-be stalker, Schaus, a friend of Mueller and Brehmer's, says she plasters pictures of the actor around her desk at work.
"I get giddy. I don't know, I act like a little kid, and my friends get a good kick out of it," she said. "I keep telling everyone, 'this is my year,' because the chances of him coming anywhere around here to film a movie are just rare."
Where Depp may be seen as manically unconventional, in real life and onscreen, it's only served to fuel his appeal with diehard fans like Schaus and those of the teenage- to middle-age persuasion, local film experts say.
UW-Oshkosh Radio, TV and Film professor Doug Heil said people have always been drawn to actors who embody that provocative, bad-boy persona. "Johnny Depp's appeal also draws from the quality of being 'dangerous' … on multiple levels," Heil said.
"He gravitates toward 'dangerous' filmmakers – people like Tim Burton, Jim Jarmusch, Terry Gilliam and Robert Rodriguez – who take chances with their work."
The actor's also known for boldly tackling non-prescriptive roles like Willy Wonka, Capt. Jack and the recent Sweeney Todd.
"He opts for characters burdened with internal conflict, where baggage and demons bottled up inside waylay the goals being pursued," Heil said. "Most of us have our own baggage we're sorting through, so his characters resonate with us."
Merlaine Angwall, a 10-year UW-Oshkosh acting and directing professor, said it isn't just about mysterious good looks, though that helps in Hollywood. "Certain stars or actors, they get to be great because they really are talented and do possess an ability to act – unlike Paris Hilton who's famous for no reason," she said.
"People like them because they believe them in roles they play."
The whole package is a recipe for hotness, and Oshkosh fans going gaga for the male cast of the Depression-era "Public Enemies" say they'd stake a manhunt downtown if only to catch a glimpse of bank robber "John Dillinger" (Depp) and FBI agent "Melvin Purvis" (Bale).
"They are two really great examples – two actors who enjoy their craft and really work at it," Angwall said of the heartthrob factor. "They are not lightweights."
Local pandemonium?
That Depp and Bale instantly give "Public Enemies" a certain recognition likely means with a film crew it could bring paparazzi, national media and obsessed fans to wherever filming goes down.
"You're going to have the crazy ones come out, clearly you will," Schaus said. "But I just think it's a great opportunity, very exciting for Wisconsin and extremely exciting for me."
Oshkosh's Brehmer said, if the film comes to Oshkosh she'll be downtown in a heartbeat.
"I've always wanted to be an actor, but it didn't work out," she said. "So if I could be an extra in the movie …"
Whether the flick's big names excite fans, or it's simply the realization that Oshkosh would play a role in a major movie, residents say it's about time the film industry looked to Oshkosh — and Wisconsin — as a potential location.
Oshkosh resident Barb Duvall, 39, admits she's not a huge Depp fan. "I know everybody is, but … I still think it's really cool that they want to do a movie in Oshkosh; I would definitely come out to watch."
Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle confirmed last month to The Associated Press that NBC Universal committed to Wisconsin as a scene for parts of the film, with Depp playing the robber whose Midwest crime spree ended when FBI agents shot him to death in Chicago in 1934. It's the first major production to come to Wisconsin since tax incentives for the film industry took effect Jan. 1.
Universal Studios' presence in locations like Oshkosh, Madison and La Crosse searching for vintage 1930s cars to feature onscreen also has upped curiosity and excitement over "Public Enemies," which could translate to big box-office success in the Midwest upon its 2009 release.
"They always do movies about Wisconsin, but never in it," Mueller said. "There's some really pretty spots here, so why not?"
Depp and Bale: The stats
Source: The Internet Movie Database (www.IMDb.com).
Johnny Depp's Piha dip
Hollywood A-lister Johnny Depp is said to have been easing back at Auckland's most famous surfing spot - while one of music's big names also paid a visit.
Johnny Depp was reportedly spotted taking an early evening swim in the Piha surf on Thursday, an event that has since become the talk of the locality.
It has been rumoured for weeks that Depp, who last week won a Golden Globe Best Actor for his bloody turn in horror-musical Sweeney Todd, was due in New Zealand for a summer holiday.
The story doing the rounds in the film world is that Depp has been holidaying on the Coromandel Peninsula.
There was no sign of him at Piha yesterday, but the tiny settlement was abuzz with the rumours.
One local woman claimed he'd been seen getting coffee from the store, but store assistants denied this.
A film industry insider who was surfing at Piha yesterday said Depp was mates with Pirates of the Caribbean co-stars Geoffrey Rush and Bill Nighy, both currently or recently in New Zealand shooting films (Rush for fantasy action movie Laundry Warrior, Nighy for Underworld: Rise of the Lycans). She speculated Depp may have been visiting one of them.
Eileen Ratcliffe, co-owner of Ahipara Backpackers and Motorcamp, said Depp was spotted in the Far North surf town recently. "Apparently he stayed in Ahipara, but he didn't stay at our motorcamp unfortunately!"
Meanwhile, Bjork and Rage Against the Machine band members were definitely at Piha - they kicked back there before facing the crowds at Big Day Out.
Jackie from Piha Store, who declined to give her surname, said she sold bottles of water to guitarist Tom Morello and singer Zack de la Rocha on Wednesday.
Bjork, the Icelandic electronica diva with a reputation for walloping press members and dressing unconventionally, also dropped in and bought a couple of shirts from the adjoining surfwear store.
"It was very exciting for me," said Jackie. "Bjork was just wearing normal beachwear. She looked absolutely normal."
Daniel Morini, chef at the Piha Surf Lifesaving Club restaurant Beachside Kitchen, served Bjork chicken caesar salad on Wednesday and pan-fried fish on Thursday night.
"The first night she came in with her security guard, the second by herself," said Morini.
"She sat on the balcony and chilled out.
"Everyone was saying, ask her for an autograph. I said, nah - didn't want any 'talk to the hand'.
"I thought of putting her fork on eBay, but I didn't."
Meanwhile, another music sensation, Sting, was reportedly set to join the crowds at the A1GP race in Taupo today, after entertaining thousands of fans at The Police concert in Auckland last night.
*The New Zealand Herald*
Tim Burton on working with Johnny Depp again
DIRECTOR Tim Burton talks about working with composer Stephen Sondheim, Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter on the tale of London's most bloodthirsty barber.
Sprawled forlornly on a sofa, Tim Burton splutters his very British cold into a very British handkerchief. Having lived in London for years, the LA transplant seems to have gone quite native in London.Partner Helena Bonham Carter, with apparent shared enthusiasm for Burton's dragged-through-several-hedges-backwards coiffure, makes a brief appearance. Perhaps she's tending to their two children, Billy Ray, 4, and Indiana Rose, 5 weeks.
Burton's local knowledge still has gaps, however. Does he know Sweeney Todd -- the name of his new film -- is cockney rhyming slang for Flying Squad, the elite detective branch of the London Metropolitan police?
‘‘No,'' says Burton, pepping up.
The 1970s cop TV series is named after it.
‘‘Yeah, yeah, yeah,'' he enthuses. ‘‘So that's what it relates to?''
The original Todd belongs in a different tale from Burton's adopted city. The legendary Demon Barber of Fleet St would, according to lore, slit the throats of customers without so much as an ‘‘Anything for the weekend, sir?'', their carcasses dispatched to the pie shop downstairs to be minced up for filling by kindly Mrs Lovett.
‘‘You think,'' asks Burton, ‘‘he was a real person?'' Burton doesn't. ‘‘Urban myth,'' he says.
Quite possibly there was a psychotic shaver, his misdeeds given currency by the Penny Dreadfuls of the era, bringing him within an untrimmed whisker of the notoriety of Jack the Ripper. But veracity doesn't matter.
Burton's quirky flicks have generally celebrated oddballs (Ed Wood, Willy Wonka) or the macabre (Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride), so you can see why he'd be jumping all over this story.
A $57 million gothic opera, Sweeney Todd stars Johnny Depp as the throat-slashing barber, and Bonham Carter as his pastry-rolling accomplice.
It is Burton and Depp's sixth film together (‘‘Our final descent into darkness,'' laughs Burton), and makes for a moodily handsome beast -- Depp's skunk-haired Todd slicing carotid arteries in the manner of an untamed distant relative of the first Burton/Depp creation, Edward Scissorhands.
It's also Burton's most ambitious film so far, for the words ‘‘Sweeney'' and ‘‘Todd'' have, in recent times, become synonymous with the musical by Stephen Sondheim. It's this that Burton is realising for the big screen.
‘‘I'd never really done something like this,'' he says. ‘‘It's very operatic and almost everybody in the cast is not a professional singer.''
You could throw in the commercial no-no of several hundred pints of blood, that cannibalism has never been a box-office turn-on, or that in the US it has been slapped with a kiss-of-death R (restricted) rating.
Dare one mention this particularly dissonant Sondheim score is not exactly High Society when it comes to populist singalong show stoppers?
‘‘Even seasoned Broadway people are saying how difficult it is,'' Burton accepts.
Burton was a humble art student when he saw Sondheim's Sweeney Todd in 1980, long before the then-aspiring animator harboured notions of becoming a film director.
‘‘I just sort of stumbled in on it and it really affected me,'' he says. ‘‘The first time on stage I saw them singing Joanna, and the throat -- you know, the blood -- I thought this is a unique juxtaposition of music and image.
‘‘It seemed like a great movie score. It would lend itself to one of those old horror movies.''
Twelve years later, after Burton launched his own film career with Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (1985) and sealed his spot on the Tinseltown A-list with Beetlejuice (1988) and Batman (1989), he approached Sondheim about a film version. They were sidetracked until a couple of years ago.
Sondheim has retained control over the casting and score. Even so, given Burton's idiosyncratic sensibilities, the old maestro seems to have been generous, not least because Depp had no proven record as a singer -- a sticking point for the studio until the actor's home-made demo of himself crooning My Friends (Todd's ode to his darling razors) convinced all.
‘‘I had absolutely no idea if he could sing,'' Burton says. ‘‘When it came to it, he exceeded my expectations, so I was very lucky I didn't go through any angst.''
THE movie opened before Christmas in the US, and the public and critics have given their verdict.
Indeed, as well as a box-office hit, Burton has been notching up winners in the pre-Oscars sweepstakes, bagging Golden Globe gongs for Best Musical or Comedy and an acting win for Depp, whose deep, crooning performance comes over like a Berlin-era Bowie.
Burton is still anxious to see how it will play around the world.
‘‘From a studio marketing point of view, I'm sure it's difficult,'' he says.
‘‘Things can fall through the cracks. People say, ‘I want to see a musical but there's too much blood', or ‘There's just the right amount of blood but what the hell's all that singing about?' It could go that way or it could go the way I hope it goes, which is it's not like something you've ever seen.''
He's working on his own tagline, just in case.
‘‘The Sound of Music,'' he laughs, ‘‘with blood!''
*Herald Sun*
GOING DEPP TO HELP HEATH FLICK
HEATH Ledger was only weeks from finishing the fantasy flick "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus." In the story there's a point where Heath falls through some magic mirror. Theoretically this might then osmose him into another character. Director Terry Gilliam's saying maybe this is where a different actor could come on and film the remaining scenes. I don't know if this is happening. I simply know it's being discussed. Being a weird, time-travel movie, Heath's character could easily change appearance. They're talking Johnny Depp.
*New York Post*
*New York Post*
'Pirates 4' Plot Rumors Ahoy!
Yes, Virginia, there will likely be a Pirates of the Caribbean 4, regardless of what you thought of the last couple of Pirates movies. Why? Because they made about a googol of dollars, that's why. Still, you might ask, what would happen in such a film? Good question, and now, here's a rumor about the answer. Elizabeth Swann and Will Turner would be jettisoned, and the film would be a "bawdy buddy movie" featuring Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush's characters.
Note we didn't say it would necessarily feature Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush. Nope. We're thinking that, in the end, such a movie would be such an unpopular move that both men would decline involvement, and it would end up being a typical Disney straight-to-video release that kids would absolutely love and parents would kill if they had to watch more than once. And it would be called Pirates of the Caribbean 3 1/2 or some such.
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