Sweeney Todd

This just in....Filming Begins on Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd, in London.

I saw the revival of Sweeney Todd in NYC, back in 2005. I'm no theater queen, but I was completely blown away by the entire cast's performances. The cast played all of their own music (no orchestra), sang their lines, and not one mistake was made. The choreography was flawless. Who knew Patti Lupone could play the tuba? I'm really interested to see how the film will be adapted, but with Tim Burton running the show, it'll be a dark and creepy Victorian England, indeed.

The Sweeney Todd film, in which Tim Burton will direct Johnny Depp (as Sweeny Todd) and Helena Bonham Carter (as Mrs. Lovett), has begun filming in London, according to an official announcement. The DreamWorks Studios/Warner Bros. film adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim musical is underway at London's Pinewood Studios for the film, which is slated to be distributed domestically by Paramount for a late 2007 release and distributed internationally by Warner Bros.

"I've always wanted to do a musical and Sweeney Todd is my favorite," said Tim Burton in the release. "Stephen's blend of humor, horror and emotion is something that has always connected with me."

Sweeney Todd follows the story of a wrongfully imprisoned barber in Victorian England who sets out to seek revenge on the judge who imprisoned him. The film will also feature Alan Rickman (Professor Snape of the Harry Potter films), Timothy Spall (Wormtail of the Harry Potter films), Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat) and Christopher Lee (The Lord of the Rings). All the stars will do their own singing from Stephen Sondheim's music and lyrics. I'm looking forward to seeing this!

Weekend Recap

Saturday Headed over to the Magritte Exhibit at LACMA... I really enjoyed the exhibit....definitely worth the $15 for my ticket. The museum's employees all wore bowler hats, and the carpets, ceilings, doorways, and columns were tricked out, Magritte style.....I was a little disappointed that the Son of Man painting wasn't on display....I found out at the museum that it is privately owned. 

Then it was off to Social Hollywood for a pre-dinner drink and a light appetizer. The Lollipop Chicken Wings are finger lickin' good!... I was at Social last August, and it was definitely the hot spot in Hollywood. The bar was a mad house and there were pretty people everywhere you looked. But nothing lasts forever. The bar scene on Saturday was very relaxed.

Social is HUGE and the Moroccan decor really works. I love the ambiance there.

Then we headed on over to Dolce for dinner . Dolce is owned by a group of celebs including, Ashton Kutcher, Dule Hill (Charlie on "The West Wing"), and Jamie Kennedy.

Next stop was the Abbey. We got there around 10:00 and it was already packed... A good time is always had at the Abbey, but after a couple drinks, we decided to get the hell outta there and head on over to Bin 8945.

Bin 8945 is a Bistro that serves oysters and ceviche, along with quite a selection of European & Caribbean tapas plates. It's great for early evening, pre-theater, regular dinner and late evening dinner choices. The full menu is available from opening until 1:30 AM. They have a nice wine selection, innovative cocktail menu, 16 world class sakes, and unique beers. The kitchen sent out a little sampler plate for us to try.  Classy move!

Sunday Recovered from Saturday night...then, cleaned house from top to bottom, ran errands, did laundry, futzed around in the garden, then got really sad at the realization that Monday would be here in the morning.