Re. the Johnny diet rumor, I wouldn't put too much stock in that. It is a tabloid report, and we are constantly hearing complete fabrications, such as the recent rumor that he bought a place in Venice (eventually denied by his publicist).
Yes, I saw those Venice house reports and the publicist's denial. Par for the course for the Internet to latch onto something that's a complete fabrication and to spread it all over the place.
We've seen several paparazzi shots from within the past week, and he is looking very healthy and fit.
Good to hear.
Re. Jackie Earle Haley, I did see Little Children, and thought he was amazing in that, walking a fine line between being despicable and sympathetic (didn't he get an Oscar nomination for that one?).
Yes, he was nominated for numerous acting awards for
Little Children, including a Best Supporting Actor Oscar - and I believe he won several of them.
Re. the comedy aspect, I hope I am right in that I am still envisioning an atmosphere along the lines of Sleepy Hollow or Sweeney Todd, where there are some funny lines, but nothing slapstick or overtly knee-slapping comedy. Both films were definitely able to hold a menacing vibe.
I still haven't watched
Sweeney Todd (despite having owned the DVD for well over a year), but I definitely agree that
Sleepy Hollow would be the perfect template for incorporating a bit of humor because all the humor in that film comes directly from character and character situations. (And in my defense with ST, I want to watch the DVD with some friends who are also interested in seeing the film but missed it when it was in theaters. But we just haven't all gotten together in the same place at the same time. One day...)