New 'Sweeney Todd' Trailer Clip

There's a new version of the Sweeney Todd movie trailer available for download here. Just right-click and "save target as" to save:

http://www.deppimpact.com/video/st_trailer2.wmv

Thanks again to Guy for the link and Kimberly for the downloadable version!

Sweeney Soundtrack at Amazon

The Sweeney Todd soundtrack CD is now available for pre-order on Amazon.com. According to the site, the title will be released Dec. 18. Thanks to Guy for the tip!

Depp Impact Costume Parade

It's that time again -- time for the annual Depp Impact Halloween Costume Parade! If you or someone you know is dressing as a Johnny Depp character for Halloween this year, you can join in on the fun.

Just send a photo of yourself (or your friend/loved one with permission) to leogirl_34@yahoo.com with a brief description of the costume. Entries for 2007 will be accepted through November 5th, so you have plenty of time.

For inspiration or just to review previous entries, you can check the 2006 Costume Parade at the site.

Happy Haunting!

Universal's Halloween 'Nightmare'

Universal Studios in Hollywood and Orlando is hosting "Halloween Horror Nights Carnival of Carnage", a PG-13 event which includes contemporary horror icons like Jason and Freddy Krueger. According to ajc.com, one of the eight haunted houses is the "Nightmare on Elm Street" house, which includes a replica of the bloody bed where Johnny Depp met his end in the original film.

Visit halloweenhorrornights.com for more information.

Should Johnny Lead the Classic Pack?

American Movie Classics (AMC) is conducting a poll asking readers to choose Today's Classic American Actor -- one who embodies the country as we now know it. Johnny Depp is currently leading the pack with 27% of the vote, followed closely by Tom Hanks and George Clooney respectively.

Personally, I'm not sure Johnny is really the perfect choice for this particular poll. That's certainly no slam against him, I just don't think he embodies American culture the way Tom Hanks and George Clooney do. If the poll had asked, "Who's the Best Actor?", then sure, Johnny Depp hands down. But though he is an American actor, he tends to have more of a global scope. He defines many things, but his body of work is not limited to a particular culture or geographical boundary -- and 100 years from now, historians couldn't look at his films and say, "Ah, now that's America at the turn of the 21st century..." In that sense, I think the others are far better choices for this poll.

So, what do you think?

Autographed Brush for Charity

A limited edition pink Goody hairbrush signed by Johnny Depp is currently being auctioned on Ebay. Johnny is one of a number of celebrities whose autographed items will benefit the Living Beyond Breast Cancer organization. The auction for this item ends Oct. 17.

Depp Can't Be Duplicated

In an interview with DelmarvaNow, director John Waters briefly discusses casting for the Broadway production of the Johnny Depp film Cry-Baby:

A Broadway version of "Cry-Baby" is in the offing, with newcomer James Snyder handling the title role. "I just saw one of their rehearsals and it's going great," Waters said. "We didn't want someone who was going to do an imitation of Johnny Depp. On the other hand, it's impossible to be too much like Johnny Depp; I think he's one of Hollywood's all-time renaissance men."

'Sweeney Todd' Screencaps

I've made about 90 screencaps from the trailer for Sweeney Todd. You can find them in the Sweeney Todd gallery on the site.

Enjoy!

'Sweeney Todd' Trailer Debuts

The first official trailer for Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd is reportedly attached to the Ben Stiller film The Heartbreak Kid which opens in theatres this weekend. It runs approximately two minutes and does give a sample of Johnny's singing for the role according to early reports.

EDIT: You can find the REAL official movie trailer on YahooMovies. Looks great!

Johnny Interviewed for Guinness

The 2008 edition of Guinness World Records was released Sept. 28 and, according to their press release, includes exclusive interviews with Johnny Depp and J.K. Rowling.

Johnny held the official record last year as Hollywood's Most Powerful Actor.

Johnny Named Favorite Actor

Johnny Depp took the top spot for "Favorite Actor" in the second annual Movies.com Readers Poll, edging out fellow nominees Christian Bale, Tom Hanks, Harrison Ford and Brad Pitt. Johnny also won this category in the debut of this poll last year.

Sweeney Todd topped Mamma Mia! in the "Music to Your Ears" category.

TF Talks 'Sweeney' & 'Rum Diary'

There are a couple of small mentions of Johnny Depp projects in the November issue of Total Film magazine (UK).

In the "Buzz" section, director Bruce Robinson discusses being brought on board for The Rum Diary:

"It's like Withnail [and I]," says Bruce Robinson. "Very bleak. Johnny adores it. He can't wait to get started. He was the one who convinced me to direct again. I told him I couldn't handle all the executives second guessing everything, but he's promised me they won't interfere."

And in the Winter Preview section, there's a brief discussion with Tim Burton about Sweeney Todd:

"We're not going to skimp on the blood," insisted Tim Burton when TF caught up with him as Sweeney Todd, his adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's hit horror musical, was ready to roll. "I've seen productions that try to be politically correct..." He trails off in disbelief. "We're talking about a serial killer and cannibalism. Soften it up and it just doesn't work."

Burton's penchant for Victorian gothery means that Sweeney's barbershop - where customers receive a deathly close shave and end up as pie fillings for Mrs Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter) - is like a second home to him, especially with regular cohort Depp in the gaff.

"Tim took a risk when he asked me to play Sweeney because neither he nor I knew if I could sing" says Depp, who is giving his pipes a live action debut. "My singing's not unlike the mating call of a rutting stag. It's a strange sound, but I haven't been fired yet."

"Johnny's fun," says Burton."It's always different and that's much more exciting than someone who does the same thing every time. He always wants to sort of become a character."

So - just to clarify - will there be blood? "There will be blood and music... and pies."

Tarantino Waiting for Johnny

In an interview with The Event Guide, director Quentin Tarantino lists Johnny Depp as one actor he would love to work with, but only when the role is right:

"When people ask me if I have a wish list of actors I want to work with, I say yes, but it really doesn’t work like that. I would love to work with Johnny Depp, but that’s not going to happen until I write a role that’s perfect for Johnny Depp. When I write that role, and put him in it, he will be perfect! That’s one of the reasons why people often have this response to my stuff. If that perfect casting then goes on to subvert someone’s image, well that can be fun too. But it’s secondary.”

Sondheim Likes Burton's 'Sweeney'

A brief notation in a recent Fox 411 article mentions composer Stephen Sondheim and his opinion of the Sweeney Todd film based on his musical play.

I asked Sondheim, by the way, if he’d seen Tim Burton’s movie version of “Sweeney Todd.” He has, and he says he likes it.

“It’s not the Broadway show,” he warned me. “It’s only an hour and 45 minutes. A lot of the score has been cut. They’ve made it its own thing. You have to go in knowing that. But what they’ve done is great.”

Film Date Set for 'Shantaram'

According to Reuters India, Gregory Roberts, author of the book Shantaram upon which the upcoming film is based, has announced that filming of the movie will begin in Mumbai on January 19, 2008.

MUMBAI (Reuters Life!) - Acclaimed director Mira Nair will next year start filming "Shantaram", a film based on the bestselling novel by an escaped convict and that stars Johnny Depp and Amitabh Bachchan, an Indian newspaper reported on Friday.
The film, an adaptation of Gregory David Roberts' novel, describes his escape from an Australian prison to Mumbai and his adventures with the city's powerful mafia.

Roberts' book, an international bestseller, also narrates his subsequent arrest and extradition to Australia and then his coming back to Mumbai, where he has set up a free health service for the poor and also does some teaching.

"The official date for the start of the movie version of Shantaram starring Amitabh Bachchan and Johnny Depp has been set for January 19, 2008," Roberts told the DNA daily.

The newspaper also said that Depp might stay with the Bachchans when he visits India for shooting.

Depp to 'recce' in Mumbai

Apunkachoice.com reports Johnny Depp may 'recce' in Mumbai prior to the start of production on the upcoming film Shantaram. In layman's terms, 'recce' simply means a pre-production visit to locations that will be used while filming the movie.

Rumour has it that Hollywood star Johnny Depp may come down to Mumbai for a recce before he begins shooting Mira Nair’s film Shantaram.

By now it is a common knowledge that Depp will play the lead role in Mira Nair’s adaptation of Gregory David Roberts’s book about an escaped Australian convict who comes to Mumbai and gets involved in the underworld. Amitabh Bachchan has been signed to play an underworld don Kader Bhai in the film.

The movie will be shot at several locations in Mumbai, including a café that Greg used to visit and the slums where he used to live.

According to the buzz, Depp will fly down to Mumbai and visit these locations to get a feel of the city’s ambience before actually beginning to shoot. He is also likely to meet Mr. Bachchan during this recce.

This will happen before the movie goes on the floors.

Reports say the movie’s shooting is set to begin in January 2008.