Lost on the River released November 11th

Johnny again in another musical project that will see the light this November 11th

 

 

Johnny took part at another musical project. This time with an icon like Bob Dylan and searching for some lost songs through the…’60s. Songs written by Bob Dylan and forgotten somewhere.

Many collaborations recently involved  Johnny  with Paul McCartney the most famous member of the still unforgettable band: The Beatles and with Ryan Adams  without to counting of course the recent concerts in Mansfield (and Los Angeles) with the Aerosmith.

This one of Bob Dylan will be a new and special album. A sort of tribute album.

“Lost On The River: The New Basement Tapes” involved in fact a lot of great artists of the music industry. Comet Bone Burnett, Elvis Costello, Jim James, Marcus Mumford, Rhiannon Giddens , Taylor Goldsmith and of course Johnny Depp.
These artists have created music for 24 songs still not yet completed by Bob Dylan and written by him in the 1960’s. They were part of the 1967’s “Basement tape” sessions.
This new album will be released on november 11th like also a documentary: “Lost On The River: The New Basement Tapes” directed by Sam Jones.

Johnny performed  with his guitar on one song called: Kansas City “replacing” Elvis Costello busy with a gig somewhere else.

It is great to seeing when very good music is created by a lot of artists, all together working for a common purpose: create a new artistic miracle.

Of course remarkable the generosity of Bob Dylan in sharing these songs with the rest of these artists.

Filmmaker Jones said that these songs everyone thought were disappeared can be great good stuff for Hollywood and that they’re a great historical discovery.

Jones added: “These days and nights in the studio have been nothing less than magical.”

The album was recorded last March at the Capitol Studios in Hollywood.

 

Anna Maria Polidori

Australia will win Pirates?

Still in doubt the next locations of Pirates 5: Dead Men tell no Tales

 

 

 

The Black Pearl

Will Australia win Pirates of the Caribbean or not?

 

Strange situation but there is still indecision in the Australian governement and frustration in Disney’s house, because australian government hasn’t decided yet what they want to do with this mega-production. Disney is always more impatient, waiting that their conditions would be accepted.

For sure it would be of great help for the local economy a movie like Pirates and Disney estimated the creation of something like 2000 new jobs in the Australian movie film industry and it wouldn’t be bad at all. Not considering the great publicity for a land like Queensland.

Plus Pirates would be the largest and most important international movie filmed in Australia.

Disney Studios, although, is still living and absorbing some perplexities from the  government of Australia  is strongly interested in filming the fifth installment of Pirates, one of the biggest and most important blockbusters movies in the world, in that dreaming, distant locations.

Walt Disney Studios is being offered $22 million incentives if they will bring the saga of Pirates in Queensland.

The movie project budget is great: something like $ 200 million of dollars. For starting. The final agreement should be signed by the prime minister Tony Abbott, and the final decision could be in at least one week some sources revealed.

The prime minister Tony Abbott will take the final decision.

It’s not excluded that the movie can be shooted somewhere else. Another location taen in consideration these days is Bja California, Mexico where it was filmed Titanic.

Some mexican governments are in Los Angeles these days and weeks for negotiations this possibility. Baja California in fact like Village Roadshow Studios on the Gold Coast, has installed water tanks specifically built for movies like Pirates.

“It’s a very frustrating situation this one” told a source working in the Australian movie-industry.

At the same time there are comforting statements from some national australian government.

 

Minister of Arts Ian Walker said recently: “We continue to negotiate with Disney to get the best deal for Queensland. Disney has been exploring locations of the Gold Coast and North Queensland, perfect places for making your movie here”.

Federal Arts Minister George Brandis added: “Not all ducks are in a row yet, but we’re working on it. The government is currently in talks with Disney about possible productions”.

Why it would be so important for Australia a production like this one?

For workplaces, for saving a movie industry in difficulty of course.

Walt Disney Studios is not just talking with Australian government for Pirates. The money offered by the Gillard Government to Disney for director Fincher and his: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea reboot is at the center of all the talks, reveals http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com. with hopes that the funds can be transferred to the Pirates production.

Pirates shootings should start at the beginning of next year.

A lot of meetings during these past weeks and days with the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance.

An insider loved to share with Golden Coast Bulletin a lot of it, remarking that the discussions progressed well.
The man said to Golden Coast Bulletin in a recent article:
“Our city needs, desperately needs, a project like this one. We are hoping things come together” he added with force.

Released july 7th 2017, the Gold Coast Studios would change face, transformed into a jungle.
Suggestive.

Plus of course a mega-production like this one would mean for all commercial activities a lot of money. Tourists, curious people, relatives and friends of people working on the set and visiting the area.

Movies like these ones mean for all the potential visitors a great attraction because visitors will live a historic moment, Pirates is not a normal movie but one of the giants of Hollywood. Better: a legend.

So it would be part of the Story of the Cinema assisting at a shooting, having the possibility of being there. And what an atmosphere. Wonderful, enchanting, magical.

Similar ideas seem to start to appear in the mind of Australians. The source of http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com in fact added: “The most immediate opportunity would be with the set itself becoming an attraction for people to visit, similar to the ship construction on The Spit for the Chronicles of Narnia film”.

The film will be directed by Norwegian Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg.

Johnny Depp  is back with Captain Jack Sparrow and in the cast there is also Geoffrey Rush in the role of Barbossa and Kevin McNally.

 

Mr. Abbott please! Considering all, why don’t you sign an “autograph” on that paperwork, closing the contract with the Walt Disney Studios and permitting to Jack Sparrow and his crew to film in Australia?
It doesn’t seem a bad opportunity at all for your land,  but a real blessing.

 

 

 

Anna Maria Polidori

Johnny on the cover of german Guitar magazine

Beautiful issue with Johnny on the cover of the prestigious german magazine dedicated to guitars and guitarists

 

 

Johnny   is on the cover of the current issue, august one, number 172 of GUITAR a very well known german magazine for guitars, guitarists and music lovers.

Johnny is on the cover of the German Guitar Magazin, issue # 172, August 2014. Johnny is becoming always more a very good musician and guitarist.

His latest performances with very known bands are decreeting always more a passionate man involved in music.

As Johnny said once, music is able to saving the soul, or a person as well from desperation. More than any art in fact music remind us of other times,  other moment of our existence, our past. It’s one of the most profound connection with our  soul. A direct passage of lightness and freshness for the spirit.

In an interview we realized eight years ago Johnny said me: “Actually I had a group before the Kids forgotten the name now and we used to play at clubs. They had to smuggle me in the back way as I was underage.

I had great fun with all my bands. I still do when I get the chance to perform.  I discovered my passion for performing musically when I was 12. I am a self taught musician“. Adding: “I never actually wanted to be an actor. My main passion is to be a musician but we weren’t getting the gigs and no money coming in so I turned to acting for a while as I thought I would get back to performing with a band again“.

 

A lot of great actors  in America are good guitarists.

Johnny has an impressive collection of guitars for all the type of sounds, occasions and music.

 

Anna Maria Polidori

Tim Burton and his poetic and romantic Edward

The picture of Johnny’s transformation in Edward Scissorhands

 

Tim Burton is a genial director and one of his most wonderful,  poetic, romantic masterpieces is undoubtedly Edward Scissorhands , his first collaboration of a long serie with Johnny Depp  as well.

The story of Edward was born when Tim, an avid reader and creator of stories was still a child.
This one is a romantic dark fantasy. Edward    in fact is a guy of few words. It couldn’t be different being a creation, an invention of a man. Unfortunately…unfinished. What a bad luck.  His creator and inventor in fact died for a heart attack before to adding at the place of these two scissors as hands, real hands, able to hugging, shaking hands, working, loving other people. The role of the inventor is portrayed by Vincent Price.

 

These  scissors as hands  are for Edward a sort of real wall and barrier with the other common people and it is a cause for tender Edward of great sufferance.

 

Impossible to hugging someone if not prudently or interacting with other human being normally. To Edward his condition was exceptionally sad. Taken in by a suburban family he falls in love for Kim the daughter of this couple. It’s a very articulated, wonderful and poetic love story as all the gothic love stories by Tim Burton are.

Other actors apart Johnny Depp: Winona Ryder, Anthony Michael Hall, Kathy Baker, Vincent Price, Alan Arkin.

This film received numerous nominations at the Academy Awards, British Academy Film Awards, Saturn Awards. He won the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation. Tim Burton have always considered this work his most personal work like also Johnny Depp. Johnny decided of joining Burton in this project immediately after he had read the script because he felt this story very deeply –

This one is a picture of the transformation of Johnny Depp in Edward.

If you look t this pic, there is all the disarming expression of poor Edward, a victim of the situation but at the same time the most innocent creature you could meet along your way.

 

Anna Maria Polidori

Dick Lehr: “Johnny Depp captures the menacing tone of Whitey Bulger.”

Dick Lehr and his personal experience  on the set with Jimmy Whitey Bulger/Johnny Depp

 

 

 

Last July 31 appeared an article written by the  journalist Dick Lehr on the Boston Globe.

The title of the article? “Johnny Depp captures the menacing tone of Whitey Bulger.”

Enchantingly beauty let’s see what one of the authors of Black Mass:Whitey Bulger, the FBI and a devil’s deal wrote.

Who is Dick Lehr first of all? Very brief introduction of one of the writers of Black Mass : Whitey Bulger the F.B.I. and a devil’s deal book inspired the movie directed by Scott  Cooper starring Johnny Depp in the role of Whitey Bulger.

Dick Lehr is a former reporter of the Boston Globe and a professor of journalism at Boston University. He has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in investigative reporting.

This reporter I imagine with great passion and “fever” followed per decades with other journalists as well the criminal adventures and private affairs of Jimmy Whitey Bulger and Bulger family of course ending up to write with Gerry O’Neill the book would have inspired the biopic movie: Black Mass starring Johnny Depp in the role of the violent and terrible mobster.

Black Mass: Whitey Bulger, the F.B.I. and a devil’s deal was and still is a great success because  in grade to reveal to all the USA the connections between the irish mob and the local Boston office of the F.B.I. where it seems there were also some corrupted agents.

The prestigious colleague wrote about Whitey per years and decades. At the end Whitey became maybe a “part” of him and it is not an euphemism because it happens. Too much strong character the one of Whitey for not being taken in consideration, for not being analyzed, for not being discussed. Too much sly, too much cruel when he was a criminal, too much everything.

I guess that following the current criminal events of Jimmy Whitey Bulger for Dick Lehr meant this and much more.

Trying to forget his investigations regarding Whitey and invited on the set, Dick Lehr cheerfully and excited accepted.  His first day on the set was, he told in the article, one of the last days of june.

 

“Under a gray, unfriendly sky, I first met Depp — or, I should say, Whitey” told the reporter.

Everything in Johnny according to the writer and reporter had a strong Whitey Bulger’s essence.

“In blue jeans, leather jacket, tinted glasses, and a bald cap the makeup department had devised to create a high forehead and slicked-back blond hair, Johnny looked like Whitey. He even moved like Whitey” confirmed Dick Lehr in his piece.

To Lehr  it was like to seeing  face to face the criminal he writes everyday of, reporting for his readers what it is going on in WhiteyLand. For the first time to him this one wasn’t reality but “fiction”. And a “fiction” based on his nonfictional book. I guess a big emotion  considering that this one is the first real historical reconstruction of Jimmy Whitey Bulger’s criminal and personal life-story.

 

Thanks to Lory for some of these pictures

Dick Lehr told that Johnny was Whitey to him in that moments and to Dick Lehr this fact was extremely disorienting at first . It was, using Lehr’s words “Like a free fall down an elevator shaft,’’ as Capote put it. “The familiar eyes, placed in a familiar face, examining me with the detachment of a stranger“. The writer compared his experience with the one of Truman Capote on a set of a movie.

Maybe I guess that later talking with Johnny, “reality” was back. No mafia, no problems involving organized crime. This one he had in front of him was Johnny Depp. So for starting Johnny talked with him of his great passion for Hunter S.Thompson, another journalist he was very great friend with, sharing with the reporter Lehr some common thoughts about the gonzo journalist.

Dick Lehr reports that there was a scene where two actors would have portrayed the two authors of the books Dick Lehr and Gerry O’Neill.
Director asked so to Dick Lehr and Gerard O’ Neill to portraying themselves playing as excellent extras for the movie.

The scene they choose was at a busy restaurant and they had to meet an FBI source. This book in fact was born thanks to some FBI sources as well.

“We were seated at the nearest table, two guys dining next to the reporters and their source. We were ordered not to make a sound because the microphones pick up everything. “Just keep mouthing the words peas and corn,” Cooper said, explaining that the words make your face move as in conversation” added Dick Lehr in his piece.

Dick Lehr confirmed it was hard and weird. Maybe I would add: surreal. They had lived all of it because of their pieces, because of their book Black Mass.

The Boston Globe revealed the scandal between Whitey Bulger and his connection with the FBI in 1988 and in 2000 Dick Lehr and Gerard O’Neill released their first book involving Jimmy Whitey Bulger, the irish mob and the connection with the F.B.I. All the rest is recent story.

 

 

Anna Maria Polidori

 

 

 

Happy birthday Tim Burton!

Although with a great delay

 

  I want to wish to one of the most creative, poetic and stunning directors of all the times all the best for his birthday!

 

 

For sure one of Johnny’s best friend!

 

 

 

Anna Maria Polidori

Pictures and news from the set of Yoga Hosers

Kevin Smith with Lily-Rose Depp and Johnny Depp in this new action comedy

 

 

A very happy and excited Lily-Rose Melody Depp close to Kevin Smith’s daughter Harley Quinn  in a new picture posted one day ago from the set of the new movie Yoga Hosers by Lily-Rose  on her social networks.

This movie in fact will see Lily-Rose   and Harley Quinn, Kevin’s s daughter, as the main protagonists  Close to Lily-Rose as co-star,  her dad Johnny Depp.

 

Lily added in her social network as a comment to the picture: “Back to work. So lucky to be hanging out with Justing Long”

This one is the first movie for Lily-Rose      as a protagonist 

although she briefly appeared as an extra in a movie scene of Tusk in the role of a Canadian clerk in a gas station with Harley Quinn as well.

 

Little cameo for Johnny Depp  in Tusk .

This new action comedy Yoga Hosers began photography this week.

The cast will be the same of TUSK and it will include: Michael Parks, Justin Long, Haley Joel Osment, Genesis Rodriguez, Ralph Garman, Jennifer Schwalbach, Harley Morenstein. Other components of the cast: Tony Hale, Natasha Lyonne, Austin Butler, Adam Brody, Tyler Posey, Jason Mewes.

The story of this new movie written by the same Kevin Smith as it happened for Tusk talks of two yoga fanatics called both…

Colleen!

Colleen Colette,- Lily-Rose Depp  – and Colleen McKenzie, – Harley Quinn – are two teen-agers with an after-school job at a Manitoba convenience store. It is called Eh-2-Zed. Tranquil, ideal and cheerful situation, their world will change abruptly when a very dangerous and ancient evil appears in their horizon.

 

The two girls so will join forces with a legendary man-hunter from Montreal called Guy Lapointe Johnny Depp’s role. Johnny  will fight for their lives with all himself.

This movie is based on the second chapter of Kevin Smith’s True North Trilogy. The trilogy focus on Canadian culture, myths, legends. Kevin Smith previously had worked with Ben Affleck and Matt Damon in DOGMA.

 

 

 

Anna Maria Polidori

Lily-Rose Depp main character in the new movie by Kevin Smith: Yoga Hosers

First movie  for Lily-Rose Melody Depp involving also Kevin Smith’s daughter Harley Quinn

 

A project involving Johnny Depp, Lily-Rose Melody Depp  and Kevin Smith’s daughter Harley Quinn has been launched just few days ago by the Daily Mail.

Lily-Rose has also previously worked in Tusk, appearing as extra in the role of a Canadian clerk in a gas station .

The new project, a production will cost 10 millions dollars will launch Lily-Rose in her first main role as actress.

The movie is called: Yoga Hosers.

The two daughters of Johnny Depp, Lily-Rose and Kevin Smith, Harley Quinn Smith will play the role of two students with after-school jobs. They will work at a convenience store and they’re both yoga enthusiasts.

 

Other actors involved: Tyler Posey, Genesis Rodriguez

Lily-Rose, 15 years,  has a strong character and the most similar one to Johnny. A very opened teenager  and as  Johnny Depp thinks, wisely, ready for the great step of a production involving her in first person.

Very happy to discover that this little tornado of strength will start to perform.
If she will be great as his dad, we will live decades of wonderful and human performances. I am sure of it!

Good Lucky, Lily-Rose! And have fun!

 

 

 

 

Anna Maria Polidori

Johnny, Robin and that movie never realized

Robin Williams, Johnny Depp, and that movie never realized

 

 

Captain, my captain, but what happened? What happened?

What a shock Robin Williams’ departure. In my bedroom there is a picture of Robin close to Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump and the citation: “Life is like a box of chocolate. You never know what you’ll get“.

It’s always true.

 

 

 

It was breakfast time when they launched the news of Robin’s departure and my heart started to live one of his moments, and I started to crying: “No, Robin no, please…”

 

 

What a man, what an actor. A big part of my childhood and teen-ager age was absorbed by his tv serie and movies. Robin, you let cry not just the adult Anna Maria one, but the kid who watched you on TV in Mork&Mindy, and the teen-ager one as well.

Because no one else is more rich of poetry and tenderness as you were.

 

 

 

 

I found peace immediately after thinking that after all maybe Robin has always searched for a suicidal escapism from life.

Maybe

 

In his movies in fact he largely talked of suicide: in Dead Poets Society, but also in many other movies as well. I always remember I had to ask to my friends when we watched some of these movies involving suicides, when the scene was over, because I couldn’t watch it. They have been always structured for being very intense and moving moments. To me the most difficult part.

He didn’t have any fear in portraying in fact on the big screen the biggest, intimate desperation of a human being. The final act of a man or a woman because desperate, because apparently, only apparently, there wasn’t another solution, suicide apart. It was like a penetration in the personal desperation of the man/boy/woman would have killed himself or herself for trying to guess the feelings, the sentiments would have brought them to this final, dramatic decision. A great work of research not just of a character, but of the intimate feelings of that person. Of the intimate reason of a despearation like that one.  A great, always profound, psychologic work.

In Mork&Mindy   disappeared and I still remember the trauma and desperation because Mork was gone. I was just a kid and I refused, still refusing the idea of dying.

 

 

 

Robin was a real genius, funny,  incredibly, good. You knew he was a very good man when you watched one of his numerous and funny or intense movies. Good morning Vietnam with an intense and funny Adrian Cronauer, The adventures of Baron Munchausen, Dead Poets Society, Mrs.Doubtfire (God, what a masterpiece!), Nine Month (in the role of a very funny gynecologist!), What dreams come true, Jumanji seen and re-seen. I had asked to my aunt of presenting me that VHS for Christmas. What a wonderful fantasy.

Robin worked in a moment in which the world was still rich of possibilities and there weren’t the complexities there are in this moment.

 

He has left a great imprint in our soul of teenagerm in a very positive way, because Robin Williams was always a very positive, wonderful man and soul, able to give, able to be expansive, able to be funny and unique, able to entertain and let us smile or being able to let us see also the most profound and intense aspects of life.

 

Maybe he was someone with a lot of internal conflicts and demons. Most of comedians are incredibly sad once they are back to the normality and they leave the stage alone after their performance. I guess it’s normal because it’s another dimensiom.

 

But…

 

Robin wasn’t just a comedian. Once he started to work he had built a very solid and great, rpestigious personal background. He studied a lot, attended many schools and he was able to attend the most prestigious institution of the Usa in term of acting and music and arts in general as well: the Julliard of New York City. It is the most important wonderful reality and  the most prestigious school for someone who wants to start to work as an actor or a musician or a dancer one for the very high level of preparation students obtain.

 

Johnny Depp

had to work with Robin in a project by Terry Gilliam .

 

Gilliam had previously worked with both of them and he wanted to be back in 2004-2005 with a project based on a book written by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman called Good Omens. It’s a funny book and Johnny Depp would have been a demon, Crowley, and Robin Williams an angel, Aziraphale.

As  it happens sometimes with Terry Gilliam’s project, they didn’t find all the money and the project, unfortunately has never been realized. Pity because it would have been a great movie.

Another news on february 3 2014 was launched saying that Gilliam is not yet giving up to the idea of an adaptation of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s book. Script is still there added Gilliam saying also: “I think it’s in the hands of receivers, because the people we did it for went bankrupt. I did talk to Terry Pratchett’s people and to Neil about getting it going again.”

If you have read some Pratchett’s books, you will know how absolutely good but aarticulated they can be.
Gilliam explained that firstly with the script they had to condense the story in a 150 minutes screenplay. Gilliam would hope in a biggest project for the TV, where they won’t condense the book but they would treat every part of it.

 

 

 

Anna Maria Polidori

New pictures of Alice. London Set

Mia Wasikowska as Alice

 

 

 

New pictures posted on The Daily Mail

 

Daily Mail Pictures

on august 18th about the shooting of Alice in Wonderland: through the looking glass in London. Beautiful pictures for sure. This movie will be for sure very surprising as promised by James Bobin, rich of Victorian and historical treats.   

Comingsoon.net pictures

Mia,   australian actress of 24 yars , became famous thanks to Alice in Wonderland filmed when she was 20 .

 

She declared she hadn’t never worked before with a great cast including british comedian Stephen Fry.

Speaking about Johnny Depp

Mia told to Metro once: “Johnny is everything you expect him to be. Working with him was like an acting school in itself“.

 

Other actors confirmed for Alice through the looking glass: Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway,Helena Bonham Carter. James Bobin is the director.

 

Sacha Baron Cohen, british actor, in the role of the Time, a real villain.

 

In fact this Alice will be set up in the Underland and will travel through the Time. It will be surprisingly fascinating.

 

 

Anna Maria Polidori