2008 Oscars Results

The winners from the 80th Annual Academy Awards have all been announced. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street was nominated for three awards, and won one Oscar for Best Achievement in Art Direction. Italian production designer Dante Ferretti and his wife, Francesca Lo Schiavo, who was the set designer on the horror-musical, each won an award.

Here are the acceptance speeches by the pair (and more information on their nomination history in this link):

Dante Ferretti:
Thank you to the Academy. And thank you to Tim Burton, fantastic director. Thank you to Richard Zanuck. Thank you to everybody, thank you to my team, all the department, everyone. Thank you, Johnny. And I'm sorry, i forgot something, but I'm very -- thank you anyway.

Francesca Lo Schiavo:
Just i would like to say, this time, thank you, thank you to the Academy. I'm so happy, so grateful. And thank you to Tim Burton. Great director. Johnny Depp and all the actors, Everybody, for this fantastic movie.

Dante Ferretti and Francesca Lo Schiavo hold their Oscars
for their work on the art direction in Sweeney Todd (OSCAR.com)

You can watch a "Thank You Cam" video of the two on the official Oscars website.

Colleen Atwood's costume designs for Sweeney Todd were also nominated, but ultimately lost to Alexandra Byrne's costumes used in Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Johnny Depp was also nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role. However, Daniel Day Lewis, who was predicted as the front runner for the award, received the Oscar for his performance in There Will Be Blood. Previous Burton collaborator Marion Cotillard (who played Josephine in Big Fish) won Best Actress for her performance as Edith Piaf in La Vie en Rose (a.ka. La Mome). Neither Tim Burton nor Helena Bonham Carter were present at the awards ceremony. It is likely that they were with their children in London at the time.

Although the famed costume designer did not take home an Academy Award this year, Oscars.com did have a special treat from Colleen Atwood. Atwood filled out a questionnaire. See her personal answers and stories, in her handwriting (click on the image for a closer view):





Information on the other winners and nominees can be read in this link.

Depp on the Oscars, Acting

The Academy Awards occur this Sunday, but actor Johnny Depp expressed that he wasn't too concerned if he did or didn't win this year. Depp has been nominated for Best Actor for his role as Sweeney Todd in Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. But Depp said he wasn't too worried about the awards ceremony, and was more interested in future roles and his body of work in acting, Hollywood Today reports.

"I just want to keep trying stuff," said Depp. "I feel like I've been so blessed to have had these characters presented to me, come in front of me, in my life. I just hope that I keep getting jobs, and especially I hope that [Tim Burton] will keep giving me jobs."



Even after six collaborations together, Burton still finds something new and exciting in Depp's various performances. "I have to say, this was one of my favorite characters that he's done," said the director.

Depp admits that he was originally tentative about taking on the role of the murderous barber, who also had to sing. "It was challenging -- there have been a lot of different Sweeneys over the years," the actor said. "I didn't know if I could sing. I had a feeling that because of my background in music that I could hit a note or two. I didn't know if I could sustain a note. I really didn't know if I could pull it off."

"Alice in Wonderland" Release Date Announced

With the writers' strike now officially over, Walt Disney Pictures has announced release dates for several films for 2009 and 2010. Among them is Tim Burton's upcoming adaptation of the fantasy Alice in Wonderland. The film, which will be a combination of performance capture animation and live-action, is set to be released on March 19, 2010.

The release date for Burton's other Disney project, Frankenweenie, was not mentioned in the article. But this is likely because it will be an animated film, and the article covered information on live-action (or mostly live-action) features. Frankenweenie is said to be released sometime in 2009.

Eight Saturn Award Nominations for "Sweeney Todd"

The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films has given a lot of attention to Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. The non-profit organization, now celebrating its 34th Annual Awards season, has nominated the musical thriller for eight Saturn Awards:

-Best Horror Film
-Best Actor (Johnny Depp)
-Best Actress (Helena Bonham Carter)
-Best Supporting Actor (Alan Rickman)
-Best Direction (Tim Burton)
-Best Writing (John Logan)
-Best Costume (Colleen Atwood)
-Best Make-Up (Peter Owen and Ivana Primorac)


You can read the complete list of this year's nominees and read more about the organization on this link.

This year's show will take place on Tuesday, June 24th, 2008, in Universal City, California.

Atwood's "Todd" Costumes Win Award

Last night, the winners of the 10th annual Costume Designers Guild Awards were announced. Among the recipients was Colleen Atwood, who won a best costume award for the period piece category for her work on Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Atwood and Todd are also up for an Academy Award for costume designs.

"Sweeney Todd" DVD Information and Pictures!

Official information for the three Region 1 DVD (including HD DVD) versions of Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street has been released! It will be available on April 1st, 2008, states Paramount Home Entertainment. The following information about DVD details and special features is categorized by the three DVD versions:


Single-Disc:

• Featurette: Burton + Depp + Carter = Todd

Two-Disc Special Edition:

• Featurettes:
  • Burton + Depp + Carter = Todd
  • Sweeney Todd is Alive: The Real History of the Demon Barber
  • Musical Mayhem: Sondheim's Sweeney Todd
  • Sweeney's London
  • The Making of Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
  • Grand Guignol: A Theatrical Tradition
  • Designs for a Demon Barber
  • A Bloody Business
  • The Razor's Refrain
• Sweeney Todd Press Conference, November 2007
• Moviefone Unscripted with Tim Burton and Johnny Depp
• Theatrical Trailer
• Photo Gallery

HD DVD 2-Disc Special Edition:

• 1080P Widescreen
• English Dolby True HD 5.1 Surround
• English, French and Spanish Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 Surround
• English, French and Spanish subtitles
• Featurettes:
  • Burton + Depp + Carter = Todd
  • Sweeney Todd is Alive: The Real History of the Demon Barber
  • Musical Mayhem: Sondheim's Sweeney Todd
  • Sweeney's London
  • The Making of Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
  • Grand Guignol: A Theatrical Tradition
  • Designs for a Demon Barber
  • A Bloody Business
  • The Razor's Refrain
• Sweeney Todd Press Conference, November 2007
• Moviefone Unscripted with Tim Burton and Johnny Depp
• Theatrical Trailer
• Photo Gallery

The following images have been provided by IGN.com. Click on the pictures for larger versions. As of yet, there are no images of the HD DVD version's box. This edition will likely be one of the last HD DVD movies released, as the format recently lost the war against Blu-ray:


The Single-Disc Version:

Two-Disc Special Edition:

"Sweeney Todd" DVD Release Date(?)

As of now, Paramount has said that it will release Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street on DVD and HD DVD on April 1st, 2008.

A simple, one-disc version of the film will be released that day, as well as a two-disc collector's edition packed with bonus materials, both on DVD and HD DVD. No box artwork or special features information has been released yet.



However, Paramount has not responded to Toshiba's decision to discontinue the production of HD DVDs, in favor of its rival technology, Blu-ray. Whether this will affect the release date of the Todd DVD has yet to be known.

"Sweeney Todd" Honored for Editing

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street was honored with the award for Best Editing (Comedy or Musical) at the 58th annual ACE Eddie Awards. Editor Chris Lebenzon received the award for his work on Burton's horror-musical.

Lebenzon first worked with Tim Burton on Batman Returns in 1992. Since then, he has held the position of editor on all of Burton's film, from Ed Wood to Corpse Bride, as well as consulting editor on The Nightmare Before Christmas. Lebenzon is likely going to be editor for Burton's two upcoming feature films: Frankenweenie (2009) and Alice in Wonderland (2010).

Lebenzon was last nominated for an Eddie Award for his work on Burton's Charlie in the Chocolate Factory.

Read more about the winners and nominees of the Eddie Awards (in film and television alike) in this link.

BAFTAs Results

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street managed to receive two BAFTA nominations this year, but ultimately failed to win. The biography La Mome beat out Todd in both Best Costume Design (Colleen Atwood was nominated) and Best Makeup/Hair.

You can read more on the BAFTAs results here.

Burton, Marie Go to Court in August

What was hoped to be a quick settlement has evolved into a drawn-out legal confrontation between director Tim Burton and his ex, Lisa Marie. The trial is set for August 12th, 2008.

Lisa Marie, 39, originally filed a lawsuit against the filmmaker in 2006.

Marie and Burton met in December 1991 and quickly moved in with one another. At that point, according to her complaint, the filmmaker promised to "share equally any and all property accumulated" and agreed to take care of her financial needs for the rest of her life.

Burton did assist Marie's career: the model appeared in four of his films -- Ed Wood in 1994, Mars Attacks! in 1996, Sleepy Hollow in 1999, and Planet of the Apes in 2001.

But while shooting their last film together, Marie's suit states, Burton dumped the model/actress for Helena Bonham Carter, who played the female lead in Apes. Bonham Carter and Tim Burton currently reside in England with their two children.

Lisa Marie's suit claims that while Burton and Bonham Carter pursued their romance, Marie felt "extremely depressed" for several months.



Marie, whose full name is Lisa Marie Smith, eventually received $2.7 million, but in 2004, she complained of a conspiracy preventing her from obtaining her fair share.

Burton fired back with his own petition, seeking a court declaration which would demand Marie abide by the original agreement.

You can read more details of the legal issue in this link.

Lohan Wants to be Alice

A disturbing statement has been made regarding Tim Burton's upcoming Alice in Wonderland: Lindsay Lohan wants to be Alice.

Sounding more like Veruca Salt than Alice, Lohan told Harper’s Bazaar: "I hope they don't give it to an unknown. I'm ideal. I could really do it justice. I've been down the role."

Though only Lohan has said anything about this, we will have to wait and see whether Burton's version of the Lewis Carroll story will be a fantasy/adventure film, horror flick, or disaster movie.

Burton and Bonham Carter Confirm Their Daughter's Name

The name of Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter's baby girl has been confirmed: Indiana Rose Burton.

The new addition to the family was born December 15th, 2007. While Bonham Carter was pregnant, the pair assumed their first child, four-year-old Billy Ray Burton, would have a younger brother, and had only thought of boys' names.

Helena Bonham Carter said: "It took us five weeks to come up with Billy, and this time we were stunned to have a girl. I'm sure I saw a willy on the antenatal scan, so we came up with Charlie, Jack, Louis, or Milo.

"She's very tall and smells delicious. She's very chilled, with lots of hair, and I'm totally in love. I even loved the birth. I'd do it again in a flash.

"I just got the drugs, sat back, and enjoyed it. It was all so casual that she didn't even cry when she came out!"

"Edward Scissorhands" Ballet Comes to Australia

The acclaimed ballet version of Tim Burton's classic film Edward Scissorhands is coming to Australia. The ballet, brought to the stage by British choreographer Matthew Bourne, was already a big hit when it made its debut in Britain in 2005, and was a celebrated success in the United States, as well.

At the tour launch at the Sydney Opera House on January 29th, 2008, Bourne said that he had wanted to adapt Burton's cult classic since the early 1990s, when he emerged as Britain's most exciting new choreographer.

However, it took nearly a decade to obtain the rights and get Tim Burton, co-writer Caroline Thompson, composer Danny Elfman, and 20th Century-Fox to permit the ballet adaptation.

"I think if I'd asked them for permission to make a TV series or a theme park ride, they would have said no," Bourne said.

"But what intrigued them was the peculiar form of theater I do, which is storytelling without words."

After eight years of waiting, the show was allowed.

Matthew Malthouse as Edward Scissorhands

Bourne said in Sydney that he was initially concerned with the scissors.

"Although they are not obviously actual blades, they move quite fast and you could get injured by them," he said.

"We've had nothing major happen, but the blades do break sometimes or they snap off."

“In a way Edward Scissorhands is Tim Burton,” Bourne observed. Bourne got the mother of Helena Bonham Carter to persuade the director into seeing one of his productions.

But Bourne was most nervous on how the star of the original film version, Johnny Depp, would think of the production, as he was the one who brought Edward to life on screens in 1990. After many months, Depp finally caught the show when it arrived in Los Angeles.

Bourne recalled: “He spent an hour with the company and tried on the hands. He wrote to me afterwards and said he was ‘teetering on the edge of tears all the way through it, mate’.”

The Australian tour of the ballet will commence at His Majesty’s Theatre from July 1 to 6.

You can see a video preview of the Sydney show here.