Heath Ledger - News Accounts

[Penthesilea]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/06/books/06esqu.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Esquire Publishes a Diary That Isn’t

After Heath Ledger was found dead in his SoHo apartment on Jan. 22, David Granger, the editor in chief of Esquire magazine, dispatched a writer named Lisa Taddeo to report on the actor’s final days.

God, how cheap and tasteless  

[oilgun]

God, how cheap and tasteless  

I just read part of the actual piece and it really is offensive and we can't even leave a comment.
Now I know why I don't read Esquire.

[TOoP/Bruce]

God, how cheap and tasteless  

My thoughts exactly...

[louisev]

I think this will lash back on Esquire, truthfully.

[southendmd]

The only Esquire I have read was the one with Jake (and others) on the cover.

The Jake article was superficial.

The rest of the magazine was sophomoric and homophobic.

I think I'd prefer not to read that article. 

[Penthesilea]

I think I'd prefer not to read that article. 

Yup, I passed on it too.


Paul, I spent the last minutes starring at the bear in your signature (and not for the first time  ). You should do something about the bear situation  (Nah, don't; I like him)

[MaineWriter]

I read one page. It's like a badly written fanfic. A really badly written fanfic. Or I supposed this would be RPS (real people slash). Or RPF (real people fanfic). Whatever, it sucks.

L

[TOoP/Bruce]

Paul, I spent the last minutes starring at the bear in your signature (and not for the first time  ). You should do something about the bear situation  (Nah, don't; I like him)

I remember Heath said in an interview that working with a bear in that scene was very difficult. 

Now I see why...

[mariez]

I read one page. It's like a badly written fanfic. A really badly written fanfic. Or I supposed this would be RPS (real people slash). Or RPF (real people fanfic). Whatever, it sucks.

L

Leslie, that's exactly what I thought of when I read Bruce's post - that it was like some pathetic RP-whatever-the heck-it's-called story.  Only it's being published in an actual (I use the term loosely) magazine and will be read by hundreds of thousands of people. I don't know anymore.  I really don't.  I'm not naive - I see bad things every day and I know the world can be a mean place. But I just don't understand this.  What is the point?  To make more money?

This actually depresses me. 

Louise, I hope you're right and that it does lash back on the magazine. 

Marie

[MaineWriter]

Leslie, that's exactly what I thought of when I read Bruce's post - that it was like some pathetic RP-whatever-the heck-it's-called story.  Only it's being published in an actual (I use the term loosely) magazine and will be read by hundreds of thousands of people. I don't know anymore.  I really don't.  I'm not naive - I see bad things every day and I know the world can be a mean place. But I just don't understand this.  What is the point?  To make more money?

This actually depresses me. 

Louise, I hope you're right and that it does lash back on the magazine. 

Marie

I thought about the one page I read as I was driving home and I realized I was right...it is "real people fanfic" (RPF) and it really is offensive. We had a lively debate on the fanfic board about RPS/RPF featuring Heath in the days/weeks after his death. I suspect the people who thought it was okay read/write RPF/RPS will find this article  entertaining--or something--but I thought it was truly tasteless. I can't imagine what people who aren't sensitized to some of the issues around RPF/RPS will think of it. Hopefully they will think it is dreadful and will express their displeasure to Esquire by cancelling their subscriptions. I would.

L