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Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond => Heath Ledger Remembrance Forum => Topic started by: Kelda on January 23, 2008, 04:28:22 pm

Title: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Kelda on January 23, 2008, 04:28:22 pm
As I couldn't get on here at work, I spent some time just generally surfing. Found some nice stuff. Perhaps we can collect it here.

Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Kelda on January 23, 2008, 04:28:37 pm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/22/AR2008012202890.html?hpid=topnews

 

A Rough-Edged Actor Who Carved An Indelible Image

 

By Hank Stuever

Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 23, 2008; Page C01

A young movie star dies and the mind automatically cues up the clip reel and FFs through the footage, even before it occurs to you to simply turn on the television and just watch the actual, endless loop:

Here is Heath Ledger -- fresh and hunky and unknown -- singing "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" and dancing on the school stadium bleachers in a teen flick adaptation of Shakespeare ("10 Things I Hate About You," a reworking of "The Taming of the Shrew"). Here is Heath Ledger caressing that empty, soiled cowboy shirt kept by his dead lover in "Brokeback Mountain." And Heath Ledger as one of the Bob Dylans in "I'm Not There," in sunglasses and a dour expression, one of the Bob Dylans who were impossible to be around.

A sneak peek of Heath Ledger from this summer's upcoming Batman movie as the Joker, fully unhinged, erasing in a few seconds any ownership Jack Nicholson may have claimed to that role. Working backward now, here is Heath Ledger in period pieces, wooing women or fighting in the Revolution. Heath Ledger in a knighthood fantasy, with swords. Heath Ledger as the unhappy prison guard in "Monster's Ball" who shoots himself in front of his father . . .

Edit that, rewind, start again:

Video suddenly from someone's phone of the curious crowd that gathered in the early evening yesterday, the gawkers and stalkers in all of us, at the SoHo apartment where Ledger was found dead at 28 by the housekeeper and the massage therapist. He was naked in a bed, with prescription sleeping pills reportedly found nearby -- fame's tragic tableau mort. Next we carry him to the gauzy and reverential place we reserve for such men: James Dean in a roadster on the highway, River Phoenix at a nightclub.

There can only be so many articles about a young actor's understatement, about his steeliness and cool. These always go with pictures of him in $400 jeans. Here you had a man who got a decent chance at everything a young actor could hope for, starting from Australian TV and leading to an Academy Award nomination for "Brokeback Mountain" -- a part that, by conventional Hollywood wisdom, had just as much potential to kill a leading man's career.

Had he lived to old age, Ledger would have never stopped hearing "I wish I knew how to quit you" jokes, the line uttered by his co-star Jake Gyllenhaal in "Brokeback Mountain." MTV gave the two of them the "best kiss" prize at its movie awards show. What got lost in all that is how good the movie was, and how good Ledger was as Ennis Del Mar, the pent-up ranch hand with a broken heart. (Really it was a role about not talking, about the unsaid. Easier said than done.)

Some of Ledger's movies worked, and many of them did not, but all along, a viewer could sense that he went about the craft with almost too much seriousness, with pain. In almost every interview he downplayed celebrityhood, tried to deny its meaning and place in his life, shrugged the usual serious-actor shrugs -- often while lighting his cigarette, creating a mood of nonchalance. Just a couple of years ago he and his pretty girlfriend moved to the pretty part of Brooklyn and had a pretty baby girl. People (the magazine, and actual people) followed them everywhere. They broke up, and it seemed like a shame, though what sort of shame you can never quite say: Ours? Theirs?

Despite the initial huzzah and marketing by Ledger's publicists -- the Vanity Fair cover eight years ago and the expert chiseling that goes along with that -- the heartthrob thing never clicked for Ledger. He worked another angle, something that is sometimes called "smoldering" when writers are out of ways to describe it. It looked like it was a chore for him to be cute. "He's handsome, but not in a traditional sort of way," Shekhar Kapur, who directed Ledger in the 2002 drama "Four Feathers," said about the actor to The Washington Post. "He's a bit craggy, but he's very, very sexy."

Craggy sexy. That was it, and perhaps that was all of it. Craggy sexy is not a lot of smiles and fashion spreads. The result of craggy sexy is that a certain niche of fans winds up swooning, writing letters of adulatory praise to Entertainment Weekly, but not as many people who opt for the more mainstream definition of sexy. Those people like Brad Pitt.

In public, Ledger kept dirtying up, dressing down, adding tattoos, chain-smoking, letting his hair get long and greasy. (Message: I don't care about that kind of thing. Message: Only the art matters.)

But like all of them -- all of these craggy sexy serious actors in search of a good part -- he cleaned up good. The lasting photo is of him in a tuxedo, making his way down the red carpet in 2006 with his then-girlfriend, Michelle Williams. They'd met on the set of "Brokeback Mountain." They'd just had the baby a few months before, and named her Matilda. In the carpet moment, Williams is in curry yellow Vera Wang chiffon. The couple do their best to fulfill all the requirements of the carpet, talking optimistically and proudly about his nomination for Best Actor, and also talking about nothing, and looking great.

He didn't win. Hours later, at the Vanity Fair party at Morton's in Beverly Hills, he was drinking with friends. People stood near him and just watched him. It was Ledger, Williams and Jake Gyllenhaal. It was Gyllenhaal's talented sister, Maggie, and her fiance, the un-craggy, heavy-lidded Peter Sarsgaard.

We hovered around them and tried to overhear their conversation. Soon enough they all drew closer and shut everyone out with their body language. They formed an impenetrable circle of young Hollywood cool.

 
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Kelda on January 23, 2008, 04:31:32 pm
http://www.cinematical.com/2008/01/22/cinematical-remembers-heath-ledger

inematical's staff would like to take a moment to share our thoughts on Heath Ledger, who passed away today after an apparent overdose.


Although Heath Ledger's best known film to date is Brokeback Mountain, my favorite of his films was Candy, in which he starred opposite fellow Australian Abbie Cornish. His performance in Candy, as an artist and heroin addict in a mutually destructive relationship with Cornish's nice middle-class girl, was so riveting and raw, and it's one of those fest films that I've thought about often since I saw it. Like most everyone who's here working Sundance, I was deeply shocked by the news of his tragic death today. He touched us through his films, and we are saddened by the loss of his life, and the films he would have made in the future. His family, especially his young daughter Matilda, will be in our thoughts and prayers.

-Kim Voynar

My original feeling about Heath Ledger -- after films like The Patriot, A Knight's Tale, and 10 Things I Hate About You -- was that he was yet another handsome and likable matinee idol ... but not much more than that. But over the last several years, I was proven wrong ... several times. My favorite performance of his was the lead role in the underrated Casanova -- and I'll be giving that film a second spin as soon as I get home from Sundance. He was a very fine actor who clearly took a lot of pride in his work, and I believe that the movie world has just lost a good soul. My heart goes out to his friends, his family, his fans, and also to the departed Heath Ledger; (If his death is ruled a suicide) I'm deeply sorry that he was so unhappy. (Regardless of the reason for the actor's death, it's a stunning tragedy.)

-Scott Weinberg

Like most young actors, Heath Ledger starred in his share of mediocre movies, yet he always appeared to take his work seriously, giving solid, professional performances regardless of the project. He knew he had to pay his dues before he got the prestige projects -- and when prestige finally arrived in the form of Brokeback Mountain, he was prepared for it. I had occasion to re-watch the last 20 minutes of that film just last week, and I was struck again by how much he does with so little. There are no tantrums or obvious "Oscar-bait" scenes. The character is reserved and unemotional; somehow, Ledger managed to convey so much about him anyway. He was a talented actor, and his death is a blow to the film community.

-Eric D. Snider

Many people finally came to respect Heath Ledger after his Oscar-nominated performance in Brokeback Mountain. But I honestly became a fan after 10 Things I Hate About You, a Shakespeare-inspired teen comedy that deserves a lot more credit than it receives. Ledger was a great actor, because he could do just about any kind of movie well. After 10 Things, he could have simply been a heartthrob. After The Patriot, a movie I guiltily admit I enjoy a lot, he could have easily gone further into action territory. And in The Brothers Grimm, he showed
us that he had a decent knack for comedy, too. Even when everybody in the blogosphere was shocked to hear he'd be playing The Joker in The Dark Knight, he proved that he had the goods to pull it off. Now his performance in the Batman sequel is one of the most eagerly anticipated of the year. After watching the recently released trailer, I even felt like he could be nominated for a second Oscar for the role. It could still happen, I guess, but it won't be as exciting without Ledger himself to accept the honor.

-Christopher Campbell

When Monika sent me an Instant Message with the news, it hit me like a claw hammer to the forehead. I knew she wouldn't joke about something like that, but, on a day of supreme cinematic reflective self-love, as the indie world obsesses over a snowy resort town in Utah, as Hollywood celebrates nominees for an award that doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things, it's very sobering. Heath Ledger wasn't my favorite actor, but he was definitely one to watch, and the thought that his light has been extinguished at such a young age, leaving behind a young daughter ... it's so sad it makes me want to cry, and I never cry about celebrities.

-Peter Martin
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Kelda on January 23, 2008, 04:33:12 pm
In quotes: Heath Ledger tributes


Tributes have been paid to actor Heath Ledger, who was found dead in his New York apartment on Tuesday.

Heath has touched so many people on so many different levels during his short life but few had the pleasure of truly knowing him.

He was a down to earth, generous, kind-hearted, life-loving, unselfish individual who was extremely inspirational to many.
Heath Ledger's father Kim

It is tragic that we have lost one of our nation's finest actors in the prime of his life. Heath Ledger's diverse and challenging roles will be remembered as some of the great performances by an Australian actor.
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd

Working with Heath was one of the purest joys of my life. He brought to the role of Ennis more than any of us could have imagined - a thirst for life, for love, and for truth, and a vulnerability that made everyone who knew him love him. His death is heartbreaking.
Brokeback Mountain director Ang Lee

I adored him. I don't know how to compare his talent to others but he's touched me deeply as a talent and it's a great loss - losing him at any age would be a loss but it was pretty rough news. I was really shocked by it.
John Travolta

I had such great hope for him. He was just taking off and to lose his life at such a young age is a tragic loss. My thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.
Mel Gibson

What a terrible tragedy. My heart goes out to Heath's family.
Nicole Kidman

I am shocked and very saddened by the news. I deeply respected Heath's work and always admired his continuing development as an artist. My thoughts are with his family and close friends.
Cate Blanchett

I think Tennyson got it right in the poem when he described someone as having died at a young age but burning the candles at both ends, and oh what a beautiful flame he made, that was Heath, what a beautiful flame he made and a great talent.

My heart goes out to everyone in his family and my family. The saddest thing is his daughter whom he just loved
dearly.
Larry Williams - ex-partner Michelle Williams' father

That's terrible. Drugs today... when we stopped taking drugs, they started. It is just an epidemic. I am sorry to hear that. He was a great talent.
Dennis Hopper

It's really, really sad. I hope his family is okay. I wish them the best.
Charlize Theron

The studio is stunned and devastated by this tragic news. The entertainment community has lost an enormous talent. Heath was a brilliant actor and an exceptional person. Our hearts go out to his family and friends.
Warner Bros president Alan Horn and studio president Jeff Robinov

He made a decision about four years ago to stop being led by producers and managers and to forge his own way. He started working with the most interesting directors. He was so successful at breaking out of the teen idol image.
Neil Armfield, who directed Ledger in his last Australian film, Candy

I worked on the same film and I never met him - we were never on the same set. This is as much news to me as anybody and it affects me in the same way.
Morgan Freeman, co-star in Dark Knight

I went through a similar thing with River Phoenix in the fact that he was so young. It's a real tragedy when someone so talented dies because you don't know on the early part of their career what more they could offer us.
Director Rob Reiner


Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/entertainment/7204267.stm

Published: 2008/01/23 18:26:18 GMT

© BBC MMVIII
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Kelda on January 23, 2008, 04:34:04 pm
 Obituary: Heath Ledger
By Ian Youngs
Entertainment reporter, BBC News

Heath Ledger's life
Actor Heath Ledger, who has been found dead at the age of 28, was regarded as one of Hollywood's brightest young stars, with a string of acclaimed films behind him and a major career ahead.

The death of such an admired star at such a young age will cause huge shock among fans, the media and the movie industry.

He shot onto the A list less than three years ago with a lead role in the universally acclaimed Brokeback Mountain, which proved he could shine in emotionally challenging roles as well as comedies and action films.

He played the inarticulate and volatile ranch hand Ennis, who became romantically entangled with a rodeo cowboy, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, in 1960s Wyoming.

It earned him Oscar, Golden Globe and Bafta nominations.

E Annie Proulx, who wrote the story upon which the movie was based, said: "He was so visceral. How did this actor get inside my head so well? He understood more about the character than I did."

   
HEATH LEDGER'S TOP FILMS
Batman - The Dark Knight (2008)
I'm Not There (2007)
Brokeback Mountain (2005, above left)
The Brothers Grimm (2005)
Ned Kelly (2003)
Monster's Ball (2001)
A Knight's Tale (2001)
The Patriot (2000)
10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
Two Hands (1999)
After Brokeback Mountain, Ledger was beginning to win blockbuster roles, and had just finished playing The Joker in the new Batman film The Dark Knight.

A recent trailer showed him playing the character as a sinister villain who proves a match for the superhero, played by Christian Bale.

"When we came to shoot the movie it was a physically and mentally draining role but I thoroughly enjoyed it and this is the most fun I've had with any character," he said.

Ledger was also thought to be in the middle of filming The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, a new fantasy movie with former Monty Python member Terry Gilliam.

Set and shot in modern London, it is the tale of a travelling theatre that takes the audience into a parallel universe.

He has also just been seen in I'm Not There, which saw six actors play characters based on Bob Dylan at different stages of his career.

Ledger said his character Robbie Clark focused on "Dylan's struggle with love and his marriage and divorce and family and balancing being in the media spotlight".

Ledger's other roles have included a heroin addict in Candy in 2006, Gilliam's The Brothers Grimm in 2005 and the title part in 2003's Ned Kelly.

He appeared alongside Halle Berry in the Oscar-winning Monster's Ball in 2001, starred in popcorn movie A Knight's Tale the same year, and was seen alongside Mel Gibson in The Patriot in 2000.

His Hollywood debut came in teen comedy 10 Things I Hate About You and he starred in light-hearted Australian gangster flick Two Hands in 1999.

And like many Australian actors, he had cut his teeth in TV soaps, playing surfer Scott Irwin in Home and Away in 1997.

Ledger was not known as a hellraiser, but was said to have been uncomfortable with fame.

And the spotlight inevitably fell on him during the bad times as well as the good.

He was recently reported to have split from his fiancee Michelle Williams, whom he met when she played his wife in Brokeback Mountain.

They had a daughter, Matilda Rose, in October 2005, but were believed to have parted in late 2007.

Ledger was previously in a couple with another actress, Naomi Watts. Their relationship ended in 2004.

But he will be remembered for his film roles and after establishing himself as one of Hollywood's finest actors under 30, Ledger's life has ended just as his talent was beginning to be fulfilled.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/entertainment/7203904.stm

Published: 2008/01/23 01:56:16 GMT

© BBC MMVIII
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: mvansand76 on January 23, 2008, 04:37:54 pm
This made me cry....  :'(

Ellen's tribute to Heath....

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20173248,00.html (http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20173248,00.html)
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: MaineWriter on January 23, 2008, 04:51:30 pm
From People:

Ang Lee Calls Heath's Death 'Heartbreaking'

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 23, 2008 03:40 PM EST

Brokeback Mountain director Ang Lee reflects fondly on working with Heath Ledger, calling the actor's untimely death "heartbreaking."

"Working with Heath was one of the purest joys of my life," the director says in a statement. "He brought to the role of Ennis [Del Mar] more than any of us could have imagined – a thirst for life, for love, and for truth, and a vulnerability that made everyone who knew him love him. His death is heartbreaking."

Ledger was nominated for a Best Actor Academy Award for his role as Ennis Del Mar, a taciturn gay cowboy in the 2005 drama.

After completing the film in 2005, Lee spoke to PEOPLE about working on set with his leading man. "He understood the cowboy way, just in the way he posed, and his body language and how it developed over the course of the film," Lee said at the time.

The director also believed that Ledger understood and empathized with his character's darker elements. "He understood the shyness and vulnerability and isolation of the character," said Lee. "He really got that. And he did it while carrying the Western aura."

While praising Ledger's "great worth ethic," the director also opened up about the star's relationship with costar Michelle Williams, joking, "On the set I pushed him towards Jake [Gyllenhaal]. Maybe I pushed him too hard and he escaped out on the other side with Michelle."

"I think he will be a great father," Lee continued at the time, discussing the birth of Ledger's daughter Matilda, now 2-years-old. "It has overwhelmed him, much more than the movie has. He is enjoying every bit of it."

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20173296,00.html

Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: MaineWriter on January 23, 2008, 04:54:26 pm
also from People:

Dogtown Director: Heath Was Cast Leader


WEDNESDAY JANUARY 23, 2008 01:15 PM EST

By Brenda Rodriguez and Stephen M. Silverman

One director who worked with Heath Ledger remembers her young star as the leader of the pack.

"All the kids, the younger actors, loved him. He was kind of like the den father. He was like the scout leader," Catherine Hardwicke, director of 2005's Lords of Dogtown, about surfers and skateboarders in Venice, Calif., tells PEOPLE.

In the movie, Ledger played the character Skip, the owner of the board shop.

"We just had little tiny trailers on that movie and he set up, like, 'Camp Heath' out in front," remembers Hardwicke. "He had like umbrellas, tiki torches and lawn chairs so everybody could kind of hang out in between scenes and stuff. He was so cool. He would have the cast up to his house, have parties, he really made it into like a family and made everybody feel so good."

Warmly, Hardwicke adds: "You could feel his heart and his soul. He had so much heart. I think he was one of those rare people who could convey that on film. You could feel it from him. He was able to make you feel what he was feeling."

In a professional capacity, she said, "He was so creative. He would come every day and after he would get to hang out with Skip Englebom, who's the character he plays, the skateboard shop guy, he kind of got the feel of him. As soon as he got it, and got under his skin, then he would just be free and come in and do crazy, cool stuff we weren't even expecting."

In particular, she cites "a very dramatic scene, where he's losing the skateboard team that he built up. He said, 'Let me try something.' He walks out in the middle of the room in the middle of this party and just grabs this big surfboard – and he just started swinging it around and all the actors were running out of the way. It's a really cool moment where he free flows, free styles."

Concludes the filmmaker, "On one level your heart is just broken for all the cool stuff we would have seen from Heath."

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20173234,00.html
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Jeff Wrangler on January 23, 2008, 05:19:41 pm
From People:

Ang Lee Calls Heath's Death 'Heartbreaking'


Thanks, Leslie. I've been wondering what Ang would have to say.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Kelda on January 23, 2008, 05:44:04 pm
Anything from Jake?

Title: An Actor Whose Work Will Outlast the Frenzy
Post by: BennyBoy on January 23, 2008, 05:50:07 pm
From film critic A.O. Scott

The defining performance of Heath Ledger’s tragically foreshortened career — more or less equivalent to what Jim Stark in “Rebel Without a Cause” was for James Dean — will surely be the role of Ennis Del Mar in “Brokeback Mountain.”

A portrait of inarticulate love and thwarted desire, Ennis is a rich, complicated character succinctly sketched in Annie Proulx’s original short story and brought to heartbreaking life by the film’s screenwriters, Diana Ossana and Larry McMurtry, by its director, Ang Lee, and above all by Mr. Ledger himself.

Outwardly, Ennis presents a familiar image of rough-hewn western masculinity, and the longing that surges under his taciturn demeanor does not so much contradict this image as help to explain it. Ennis’s love for Jack Twist, whom he meets tending sheep on a Wyoming mountaintop in the early 1960s, takes Ennis by surprise and throws him permanently off balance. His lifelong silence, the film suggests, is less a sign of strength than of cowardice, a crippling inability to acknowledge or communicate the truth of his own feelings.

What made the performance so remarkable was that Mr. Ledger, without betraying Ennis’s dignity or his reserve, was nonetheless able to convey that truth to the audience. This kind of sensitivity — the ability to signal an inner emotional state without overtly showing it — is what distinguishes great screen acting from movie-star posing. And while Mr. Ledger was handsome enough, and famous enough, to be called a movie star, he was serious enough, and smart enough, to be suspicious of deploying his charisma too easily or cheaply.

In retrospect, the best thing that happened to him — the lucky break for his admirers, at any rate —may have been his disinclination to realize his movie-star potential. He was the most likable of the young things in the "Taming of the Shrew"-derived teen comedy “10 Things I Hate About You,” with his curly hair, high forehead and the permanent intimation of a smirk on his thin-lipped, angled mouth. And as often happens with young actors in Hollywood, his good looks and easy charm looked like a ticket to the commercial big time. Dutifully, but also with sparks of playful, eager energy, he played period golden boys in “The Patriot” and “A Knight’s Tale,” a misbegotten (but not entirely unenjoyable) entry in the ever-silly costume-action genre.

It is hard to know exactly when Mr. Ledger discovered his range, and set about trying to explore it, but it is clear that he covered a lot of ground in a very short time. He had a taste for portraying troubled, brooding, self-destructive young men, it’s true — the anguished second-generation prison guard in “Monster’s Ball”; the heroin addict in “Candy”; the unhappy film star in “I’m Not There,” in addition to Ennis — but the temptation to blend their fates with Mr. Ledger’s own should be resisted at all costs. Those roles should be seen less as expressions of some imagined inner torment than as evidence of resourcefulness, creative restlessness and wit.

Those same characteristics are abundantly evident in less well-known movies that should not be overlooked. Mr. Ledger was hilarious and eccentric in Catherine Hardwicke’s “Lords of Dogtown,” playing a shaggy old-timer on the Venice Beach surf- and skateboard scene, and affably mischievous in Terry Gilliam’s “Brothers Grimm,” alongside Matt Damon. Ennis Del Mar is complemented and complicated by Casanova, whom Mr. Ledger played in Lasse Hallstrom’s unfairly neglected biopic-as-sex-farce, which came and went too quickly in late 2005, during the ascendancy of “Brokeback Mountain.” It’s not just that the flamboyantly heterosexual Casanova is Ennis Del Mar’s opposite in obvious ways. He is also a creature of pure whimsy, a lighter-than-air confection of licentiousness and gallantry.

Which is not to say that Mr. Ledger’s performance is frivolous. Rather, it required intelligence, restraint and a tricky lightness of touch. Mr. Ledger’s had an unusual ability to mix lightness and gravity, an emotional nimbleness he displayed most fully in Todd Haynes’s “I’m Not There.” Of the six avatars of Bob Dylan in that film, his, an actor named Robbie Clark, is the most remote from Mr. Dylan’s various personae and closest to the prosaic world of love, fame and ambition. Bobby starts out full of youthful energy, heedless and in love, and finds himself a decade later adrift and disappointed, robbed of the happiness that early success had seemed to promise.

Again, it’s important to warn against looking in that film, or any other, for clues or portents. It seems to me that Mr. Ledger, in his choice of roles, was motivated above all by curiosity, and perhaps also by an impatience with the predictability and caution that can settle around the shoulders of talented young stars. In heroic roles, like “A Knight’s Tale” or “Ned Kelly,” he often seems bored, which may be why he so eagerly seized the chance to play the sociopathic Joker in “The Dark Knight,” the next installment in the “Batman” franchise.

The dismaying sense of loss and waste at Mr. Ledger’s death at the age of 28 comes not only because he was so young, but also because his talent was large and as yet largely unmapped. It seems inevitable that he will now be inscribed in the cult of the beautiful stars who died too young, alongside James Dean, Montgomery Clift and Marilyn Monroe. Even before his death, he had been ensnared in a pathological gossip culture that chews up the private lives of celebrities, and Tuesday’s news unleashed the usual rituals of media cannibalism.

Mr. Ledger’s work will outlast the frenzy. But there should have been more. Instead of being preserved as a young star eclipsed in his prime, he should have had time to outgrow his early promise and become the strange, surprising, era-defining actor he always had the potential to be.




Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: BennyBoy on January 23, 2008, 05:56:12 pm
Rare is the performance that can honestly be called a "revelation," but that's what it felt like to watch Heath Ledger in "Brokeback Mountain." Not only did he bring iconic life and nuance to the existential loneliness of Ennis Del Mar, a taciturn but complex (and conflicted) character, but for such mature work to spring from the teen-idol star of "10 Things I Hate About You" and "A Knight's Tale" was... well, revelatory itself -- the astonishing revelation of a suddenly, fully developed actor whose juvenile efforts scarcely indicated he'd be capable of such moving depth and clarity. Ledger emerged as if from a cocoon, gleaming with promise and flexing his wings.

Only two years after he received his first Oscar nomination for this iconic, star-making performance, it seems unthinkable that we should be mourning his death, at the age of 28....

Ledger's work as Robbie Clark, one of six "Bob Dylan" figures in Todd Haynes' "I'm Not There" -- and the tantalizingly creepy advance stills of his makeup-smeared face as The Joker in Christopher Nolan's upcoming "Batman Begins" sequel, "The Dark Knight" -- proved he was somebody it would be a joy to watch morph and change over time. It never occurred to me that he wouldn't create an impressive body of work across a wide range of roles, and probably win more Oscar nominations for them, in the course of the rich and varied career ahead of him.

In "I'm Not There," he plays an actor who once played fictionalized Dylanesque folksinger Jack Rollins (played by his "Dark Knight" co-star Christian Bale, three years his senior and another of the most exciting actors of his generation) in a Hollywood bio-pic. It takes a fine actor to play a decent actor giving a not-so-good performance (yet still good enough that he might become a star because of the role). And in the scenes with his wife Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg), a romance that spans the Vietnam era from Godardian cafe conversations to domestic breakup melodrama, Ledger shines with youthful exuberance and intelligence.

"I would like to know what is at the center of your world," Claire says early in their acquaintance.

"Well, I'm 22, I guess I would say me," Robbie replies.

It's a favorite moment, both a confession and a sly evasion, from one of my favorite films of last year -- refreshingly candid, funny, bright, unpretentious. And now heartbreaking as well.



Jim Emerson
Title: Tributes and memories
Post by: BennyBoy on January 23, 2008, 06:29:49 pm
A good article from CNN

An autopsy Wednesday morning on actor Heath Ledger was inconclusive, and a cause-of-death determination will take 10 to 14 days, a medical examiner's spokeswoman said.

The Academy Award-nominated actor was found dead Tuesday of a possible drug overdose in a Lower Manhattan apartment, the New York Police Department said. He was 28.

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said Wednesday that Ledger was found face down in a normal sleeping position and not at the foot of his bed, as had been previously reported.

Kelly said technicians collected a $20 bill found in the apartment for testing, because of the way it was folded.

Flowers, notes and a candle were left by mourning fans on the sidewalk outside the Soho apartment building.

"You did great work and I know your fans were looking forward to what more you had to offer," read one note.

Ledger's former girlfriend, actress Michelle Williams, who was shooting a movie in Sweden, was informed of his death late Tuesday night, a movie production company spokesman said.

Williams left early Wednesday morning with 2-year-old daughter Matilda Rose, the spokesman said. Ledger was the child's father.

Ledger, Oscar-nominated for his role in "Brokeback Mountain," was found by a housekeeper trying to wake him for an appointment with a masseuse, said police spokesman Paul Browne.

Browne later told reporters some prescription medications were found in the room, including sleeping pills. He said the pills were not "scattered around," as had been reported.

No note was found, and there was no indication of foul play, Browne said.

The apartment did not belong to actress Mary-Kate Olsen, as initially reported by The New York Times' Web site and TMZ.com, citing police. Olsen's publicist told CNN the place is "not her apartment, was never her apartment."

In light of Ledger's death, President Bush on Wednesday postponed an event surrounding the launch of a public-service ad campaign warning against the dangers of prescription drug abuse.

"We thought it would be better to postpone the event rather than run the risk of anyone thinking that we were being opportunistic in highlighting the issue," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said.

Ledger's family on Wednesday called his death "very tragic, untimely and accidental."  Watch family and other Australians mourn actor »

"Heath has touched so many people on so many different levels during his short life, but few had the pleasure of truly knowing him," Ledger's father, Kim Ledger, told reporters while standing with the actor's mother and sister in Perth, Australia.

"He was a down-to-earth, generous, kindhearted, life-loving, unselfish individual extremely inspirational to many."

Hollywood reacts

Condolences began pouring in from Ledger's friends and co-stars.  Watch the reaction at the Sundance Film Festival »

"I had such great hope for him," said Mel Gibson, who played Ledger's father in "The Patriot," in a statement.

"He was just taking off, and to lose his life at such a young age is a tragic loss. My thoughts and prayers are with him and his family."

At the time of his death, Ledger had just finished playing the villain The Joker in "The Dark Knight," the latest installment in the Batman series. The film is to open in July.

The role disturbed him, according to The Associated Press. He called The Joker a "psychopathic, mass-murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy."  Watch Ledger discuss taking on challenging roles »

"Last week, I probably slept an average of two hours a night," Ledger told The New York Times. "I couldn't stop thinking. My body was exhausted, and my mind was still going."

He said prescription sleeping pills didn't help, according to AP.

Ledger was born in Perth and named Heathcliff Andrew after the main characters of Emily Bronte's "Wuthering Heights." He began acting at a local theater as a child.  Find out more about the actor »

Ledger's first American film was the teen comedy "10 Things I Hate About You" in 1999, and he immediately attracted attention from Hollywood. He passed up several scripts before taking a role in the Revolutionary War drama "The Patriot" in 2000 and "A Knight's Tale" in 2001. He also played a supporting role in "Monster's Ball," among other films.  See a photo gallery of Ledger's life and career »

"In a way, I was spoon-fed a career," he said in a 2005 interview with Time magazine. "It was fully manufactured by a studio that believed it could put me on their posters and turn me into a product. ... I hadn't figured out properly how to act, and all of a sudden I was being thrown into these lead roles."

Controversial role

But Ledger was perhaps best known for his 2005 portrayal of Ennis Del Mar in "Brokeback Mountain," about two cowboys who had a secret romantic relationship. The role earned him an Oscar nomination.

"I felt that choices were being made for me, so I feel this has been my time now to find the good stories and test myself," Ledger told the Glasgow Herald in the 2005 interview. "It has been an interesting year, where I finally have a sense of accomplishment."

"Working with Heath was one of the purest joys of my life," Ang Lee, who directed "Brokeback Mountain," told AP.

"He brought to the role of Ennis more than any of us could have imagined -- a thirst for life, for love and for truth, and a vulnerability that made everyone who knew him love him. His death is heartbreaking."

Asked how he felt about filming love scenes with another man, Ledger said he and his co-star Jake Gyllenhaal simply focused on their roles.

"We can't say that we weren't nervous about it," Ledger told Oprah Winfrey in 2006. "But once the first take was over, it's like, 'OK. So what? It's kissing another human being. How are we going to finish this scene? Let's get on with it and let's get out of here.' "

In a written statement, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation said it mourns Ledger's death, adding that his portrayal of Del Mar "changed hearts and minds in immeasurable ways."




http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/23/heath.ledger.dead/index.html (http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/23/heath.ledger.dead/index.html)
Title: Tributes and memories
Post by: BennyBoy on January 23, 2008, 06:59:34 pm
Tons more people have come out and expressed their sadness including Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett and the Prime Minister of Australia.

SYDNEY, Australia - Michelle Williams is "devastated" by the death of former fiance Heath Ledger and said that "words cannot describe" the pain of losing the father of her child, according to TMZ.com.

MTV News reported Williams was flying with their daughter Matilda to New York from Sweden, where she was filming, after learning about Ledger's death.

Meanwhile, Ledger's family rejected any suggestion Wednesday that the actor killed himself and joined fellow Australians in mourning one of their rising stars after he was found dead in a New York apartment.

The Australian-born actor was found face-down and naked at the foot of a bed in a Manhattan apartment Tuesday. Police said there were prescription sleeping pills near Ledger's body.

Ledger's family members faced a throng of journalists in the actor's hometown of Perth in western Australia and read a statement saying his death was purely accidental, though they did not say whether he died of an overdose.

"We, Heath's family, can confirm the very tragic, untimely and accidental passing of our dearly loved son, brother and doting father of Matilda," Ledger's father Kim told reporters. "He was found peacefully asleep in his New York apartment by his housekeeper at 3:30 p.m. U.S. time."

Kim Ledger remembered his 28-year-old son as a "down to earth, generous, kindhearted, life-loving, unselfish individual" who was "extremely inspirational" to those who knew him.

"Heath has touched so many people on so many different levels during his short life but few had the pleasure of truly knowing him," Kim Ledger said. "Please now respect our family's need to grieve and come to terms with our loss privately."

Meanwhile, tributes from fellow Australians flooded in Wednesday, with Nicole Kidman calling Ledger's death a "terrible tragedy."

Cate Blanchett, who starred with Ledger in the Bob Dylan bio-flick, "I'm Not There," a role that earned her an Oscar nomination Tuesday for best supporting actress, said she was "shocked and saddened" at the news.

"I deeply respect Heath's work and always admired his continuing development as an artist," Blanchett said in a statement published by News Ltd. newspapers online. "My thoughts are with his family and close friends."

Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd expressed shock over losing "one of our nation's finest actors in the prime of his life."

Arts and Environment Minister Peter Garrett, former lead singer of the rock band Midnight Oil, called it "a terribly sad day" for Australia.

"This bloke was a great actor, a young talent and he had so much more to give," Garrett told reporters in Canberra. "So it's a shock that he's gone and a moment of sadness, I think, which will last for us in Australia and also for the film community as well."


Ledger received an Oscar nomination for his role as a troubled gay cowboy in the 2006 film "Brokeback Mountain," where he met Williams, who played his wife in the movie. The couple had a daughter, now 2-year-old Matilda, and lived together in New York until they split up last year.

Williams' father, Larry, a prominent stock trader fighting extradition to the United States on tax evasion charges, remembered Ledger as "a great talent."

"My heart goes out to everyone in his family and my family," Williams told Sydney's The Daily Telegraph.

Neil Armfield, who directed Ledger in his last Australian film, "Candy," said the actor had "handled his career incredibly well," steering himself toward more challenging roles.

"He made a decision about four years ago to stop being led by producers and managers and to forge his own way," Armfield told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio. "He started working with the most interesting directors. He was so successful at breaking out of the teen idol image."


Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Ellemeno on January 23, 2008, 07:30:34 pm
I Cried For You (3:39)
Today's tribute video from the wonderful Cliffy4479


This video is loaded with Heathen treasure, and a lovely sad song.

http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,1179.msg321995.html#msg321995
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Lumière on January 23, 2008, 07:36:52 pm
[ok-magazine.com]





At the sudden news of Heath Ledger’s death, celebrities are mourning the loss of a great Hollywood actor. Among them is John Travolta, who spoke to OK! only minutes after hearing the horrible news.

"He was not only one of the greatest actors but also my favorite actor," John told OK! at the opening night ceremonies of G'Day USA: Australia Week 2008. "I am devastated." Through tears, the Hairspray star confessed, "I would give back all my awards and nominations just to have him back... I and other actors need other actors to be inspired by. [Heath] was my actor."

John also retold the story of how he first met the young actor. "I'd wanted to meet him and I was very impressed with him from the beginning," he recalled. "His agent actually introduced me to him at a party... He was almost bashful about accepting compliments and he did not want to make a big deal out of it and he was a big deal.

"He was on top of the world and had everything going for him," John continued. "He was serious about his craft and looking forward to his work. I knew recently about the separation [from girlfriend Michelle Williams] but when you have the depth of character of feeling. It's a double-edged sword...you are also feeling those things in life; your sensitivities, your perceptions are almost an assault on you. So the beautiful thing that you get to use in your craft is the same thing that makes life harsher for you."

Also visibly upset at the G'Day USA event was Australian musician Kayven Temperley of the band Eskimo Joe, who grew up near Heath in Perth. "He used to live down the street from me," Kayven told OK!. "My girlfriend was his schoolmate. It's just so sad; he could have had so much more with his life."

Meanwhile, Heath's fellow Aussie, and dear friend of Heath’s ex Naomi Watts, Nicole Kidman is shocked by the news. “What a tragedy,” the Oscar winner tells Extra. “My heart goes out to his family.”

As for musician Gavin DeGraw, he is not only sending his deepest regards to Heath’s family through a bulletin on Myspace, but also admired Heath. “I have truly enjoyed the talent that Heath has brought to the world,” he says. “Many times I have turned on the TV and seen him and thought, ‘I think I'd like to be that guy. He seems pretty cool... gets to make movies and has a good demeanor about him and such. That would be pretty all right for a day or two I think.’"
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: delalluvia on January 23, 2008, 08:17:43 pm
Anything from Jake?



Or Naomi Watts?
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Eire1978 on January 23, 2008, 08:23:03 pm
R.I.P Heath Ledger:


&feature=related
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: opinionista on January 23, 2008, 08:24:08 pm
I guess both Jake and Naomi Watts are devastated by what happened, and in no mood to talk to the press. Maggie Gyllenhaal hasn't come forward either. If I were in their shoes, I wouldn't be in the mood either. They lost a friend, they deserve to grieve in private.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: opinionista on January 23, 2008, 08:34:36 pm
TMZ posted this about Jake. I'm not sure how accurate is it, but here it goes. Sorry if this is already posted here at BM.


Where is Jake Gyllenhaal?

Jake Gyllenhaal has yet to be seen or heard from since the death of his close friend, Heath Ledger -- and people on the set of his new film are working hard to keep it that way.

Gyllenhaal is in New Mexico, currently filming his new movie, "Brothers." We're told there are no plans to shut down production, but Jake is very upset and doesn't want to talk to the media -- so the set has been closed to non-crew members and extra security has been hired.

Jake is the godfather to Heath's daughter, Matilda Rose.



http://www.tmz.com/2008/01/23/where-is-jake-gyllenhaal/ (http://www.tmz.com/2008/01/23/where-is-jake-gyllenhaal/)

Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Lumière on January 23, 2008, 10:33:47 pm

I guess it is not hard to see why the last thing on Jake's mind  right now would be to talk to the press.
I know that wouldn't be the first thing to pop into my head after a close friend has passed away...
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: SFEnnisSF on January 24, 2008, 01:21:36 am
This made me cry....  :'(

Ellen's tribute to Heath....

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20173248,00.html (http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20173248,00.html)


 :'(
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: SFEnnisSF on January 24, 2008, 02:36:10 am
http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1580086/20080122/story.jhtml
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Brown Eyes on January 24, 2008, 02:42:10 am
I guess it is not hard to see why the last thing on Jake's mind  right now would be to talk to the press.
I know that wouldn't be the first thing to pop into my head after a close friend has passed away...

I completely understand his (and any of Heath's family and friends) desire for privacy.  Absolutely.  But, when the time comes when Jake does make a statement, man, I know I'm going to completely lose it.
 :'(

I still just can't get over how Brokeback really did make Heath, Jake, Michelle and Matilda a family.  Truly amazing.


Title: Lovely Tribute Article
Post by: cmr107 on January 24, 2008, 06:28:18 am
Hello friends (both old and new). I looked for a thread to put this in, but decided to make my own. This is a wonderful article that could have been written by one of us, as it is so full of respect and admiration. I hope you like it as much as I do at this horrible time.

10 Things I Loved About Heath Ledger
What made him irreplaceable.
By Dana Stevens

Obituaries—especially obituaries for the young, beautiful, and unexpectedly dead—are a hopeless genre to write. The deadline is, by definition, past, and you know you've already been scooped countless times. So rather than research a tribute to Heath Ledger by watching the ghoulish three-minute-long video of Ledger's body being wheeled out on a gurney, or clicking through photos of his 2-year-old daughter (just three months older than mine), I stayed up most of the night watching and re-watching a few of his movies. I wanted to understand, without resorting to gushy and imprecise phrases like "most promising actor of his generation," the particular quality he had that will be missing from movies now. There are plenty of promising actors in his generation, but there's no one who can do that Heath Ledger thing. What was it, exactly?

For one thing, there was the novelty of a guy that effortlessly good-looking—who in his or her right mind wouldn't want to get next to Heath Ledger?—gravitating to eccentric, even flamboyant, character roles. In Lords of Dogtown (2005), Ledger plays not one of the blond skate rats but Skip Engblom, the middle-aged and perpetually drunk surf-shop owner who coaches the skateboarding team to greatness. This scruffy, inspirational sports picture, a fictionalized remake of the skateboarding documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys, can barely contain Ledger's gonzo performance. He's fresh from Val Kilmer College, comically unhinged and unprecedentedly ugly. Late in the movie, after the Z-Boys skate their way to juicy endorsement deals and desert Skip one by one, he hurls surfboards off the roof of his store in a self-destructive rage, then sprawls on the roof's edge, guzzling from a bottle of whiskey while the crowd below gasps for fear he'll throw himself off. Hard to watch on the night he presumably died of an overdose? A little bit.

Then again, so was the sheerly goofy scene from the 1999 romantic comedy 10 Things I Hate About You, in which a 19-year-old Ledger belts out "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" to Julia Stiles over the school PA system during soccer practice. This is Ledger in straight-up teen-heartthrob mode—throwing paintballs, going to the prom—but, once again, he doesn't quite fit in the movie. It's not that he's ill at ease in the role, quite the contrary. His graceful physicality and loose-limbed charm point up the artificiality of the whole proceedings and make the rest of the actors look stiffly conventional. Like Brando and James Dean—actors to whom he's no doubt now being compared, and whom he was clearly referencing as the tormented movie star in I'm Not There—Ledger was an actor whose sheer physical charisma seemed at times to jut out from the surface of his movies.

But then there's Brokeback Mountain, a movie in which Ledger belongs so completely that, in the end, the movie belongs to him. That's not to discount Jake Gyllenhaal's fine performance as the volatile, openly needy Jack Twist. But it's the recalcitrance of Ennis Del Mar, Ledger's more deeply closeted cowboy, that drives the story forward. Brokeback Mountain isn't just about the impossibility of two men loving each other; it's about the impossibility of anyone loving this particular man. Not only Jack Twist, but Ennis' wife (Michelle Williams, who fell in love with Ledger during the filming) and a dime-a-dance bar girl (Linda Cardellini) all hack away unsuccessfully at Ennis' shell. I remember, when Brokeback came out, two friends telling me separately that the flinty, secretly tender, intermittently rageful Ennis reminded them painfully of their own shut-down fathers. An impressive achievement for an actor who was 26 at the time.

I'm Not There, the 2006 addiction drama Candy, and the tantalizingly creepy trailer for this summer's The Dark Knight all suggest that Ledger was learning to choose roles that took advantage of that peculiar quality he had of seeming at once larger than life and inwardly focused. In the years to come, I'm sure there'll be movies that make audiences think, damn, Heath Ledger could have nailed that role. So I won't opine on how sad it is that a gifted young man, someone's father and someone's son, lost his life at the threshold of a great career. I'll just say that the movies themselves will miss Heath Ledger.

http://www.slate.com/id/2182669/ (http://www.slate.com/id/2182669/)
Title: Re: Lovely Tribute Article
Post by: mvansand76 on January 24, 2008, 06:34:02 am
That was a beautiful article, such true words... I keep rubbing tears away from my eyes...

Thanks for posting...  :-* :'(
Title: Re: Lovely Tribute Article
Post by: Shasta542 on January 24, 2008, 07:23:36 am
"....there's no one who can do that Heath Ledger thing...."

That's the truth.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: chefjudy on January 24, 2008, 10:32:15 am

quote from atz:
Quote
I still just can't get over how Brokeback really did make Heath, Jake, Michelle and Matilda a family.


 :) and part of our family, we will always remember and think that way.................... :'(
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Aloysius J. Gleek on January 24, 2008, 07:14:51 pm
From Radar Magazine:

Entertainment Weekly Joins The Heathstakes


(http://radaronline.com/exclusives//22EWHEATH2.jpg)
COLLECTABLE EW

By Hailey Eber   01/24/08 4:59 PM

Following in the pages of People magazine, Entertainment Weekly has also beat the rush to come out with a Heath Ledger cover this week.

EW's "Special Tribute Issue" was already up on eBay this morning. A rep for EW said the magazine always closes on Tuesdays, and did so this week as well. The issue is expected to come out tomorrow.

EW has yet to answer further questions on the tribute issue and how it might have ended up on the auction site this morning.

Is seller "oldmagazineman" just an enterprising EW staffer, trying to make a little extra crash in the wake of tragedy?
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: MaineWriter on January 24, 2008, 07:19:18 pm
Apparently, Daniel Day Lewis was on the Oprah Winfrey show today and got very emotional talking about Heath. Here's a link:

http://www.tmz.com/2008/01/24/sorry-oprah-i-want-to-talk-about-heath/

Disclaimer: I haven't watched the video myself because my computer is acting up, but the message I got from yb said it was worth a look.

L
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Lumière on January 24, 2008, 07:27:08 pm
Apparently, Daniel Day Lewis was on the Oprah Winfrey show today and got very emotional talking about Heath. Here's a link:

http://www.tmz.com/2008/01/24/sorry-oprah-i-want-to-talk-about-heath/

Disclaimer: I haven't watched the video myself because my computer is acting up, but the message I got from yb said it was worth a look.

L


Such a heartfelt message.
Thanks for the link Leslie.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: louisev on January 24, 2008, 11:21:54 pm
 
Here is a lovely tribute article in today's L.A. Times, focusing on Heath's portrayals of masculinity:

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-heath24jan24,0,7037712.story

(cross posted in News Stories)
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Fran on January 25, 2008, 12:20:04 am
From Celebrity Baby Blog:

A look back on Heath Ledger as a father

http://www.celebrity-babies.com/2008/01/tribute-to-cele.html#more

(http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa188/ffrraann/ABC%20Food%20used/heathledgermatildahug_cbb.jpg)
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Fran on January 25, 2008, 12:51:44 am
Warner Bros. tribute to Heath on The Dark Knight website:

(Click on the bat)

http://thedarkknight.warnerbros.com/
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Fran on January 25, 2008, 01:18:47 am
The Huffington Post:

Reporting on the Dead
by Star Jones

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/star-jones/reporting-on-the-dead_b_83142.html
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Aloysius J. Gleek on January 25, 2008, 11:26:25 am
From: People

Tributes

Heath Ledger's Family Pours Out Grief

By Mike Fleeman

Originally posted Thursday January 24, 2008 09:30 PM EST


(http://img2.timeinc.net/people/i/2008/news/080204/heath_ledger6.jpg)


Heath Ledger's family members bared their grief in an Australian newspaper, writing of the heart-wrenching loss of the Hollywood actor – who to them was always a brother or a son.

In one of several messages in the death notices section of the West Australian on Friday, his mother Sally wrote:

Our darling boy, special in so many ways to all of us. You knew you were so loved. You lived life with courage and daring and we are so grateful for the wonderful times we shared. We will be there for Matilda.

His older sister Kate, who called her brother by the pet name "Roast," wrote:

I can hardly breathe when I try to write this. We were the ultimate in soul mates. I feel both my heart and life have been torn apart. I loved our special talks, our daily chats from where ever you were in the world.

I especially loved all the precious time we spent together. We were so fortunate to have you as long as we did. You were so many things to so many people, but to me you were just my little brother.

There will never, ever be another "Heath" and I think that in itself is the greatest tragedy.

I will continue to talk with you everyday and love you just as if you were here. You will never leave my thoughts "Roast", ever.


A Message from His Father

His father Kim, who called his son by the nicknames "Heatho" and "Beef," writes:

My beautiful boy, so loving, so talented, so independent, so caring, so young . . . no more chess games mate . . . this is it, couldn't beat you anyway!

My body aches for the sound of your voice, our chats, our laughs and our life and times together.

Your truly varied artistic skills, insatiable desire to improve and eclectic abilities set you apart from any other person on the planet . . . it had only just started for you ... and for us to further enjoy. We were one, in soul and commitment. Just . . . Father and Son. I will love you forever, Dad.


His Entire Family Writes

And a note signed by his entire family read:

How do we describe our sudden and tragic loss? ... You were the most amazing individual "old soul" in a young man's body.

You so loved us, as we dearly loved you. As a close knit and very private family unit we have observed you so determined yet quietly travelling in your self-styled path in life, nothing would get in your way ... no mountain too tall, no river too wide.

You dreamed your dreams and lived them with passion and intelligent commitment. We have been privileged to accompany you on a ride through life that has simply been amazing and through it all, we have loved each other beyond imagination.

Your true legacy lives on in beautiful little Matilda, who will always remain in the greatest of care. Our hearts are broken.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: mvansand76 on January 25, 2008, 11:55:26 am
Oh God, those words from Heath's family are so beautiful, I'm crying at my desk at work...  :'( I especially feel for Kate. Losing a brother like that, I can only begin to imagine this, because the thought of the possibility of losing my sister crosses my mind all the time since she was diagnosed with cancer, and the feelings she expresses in those words ring so true.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: belbbmfan on January 25, 2008, 12:10:30 pm
Oh God, those words from Heath's family are so beautiful, I'm crying at my desk at work...  :'( I especially feel for Kate. Losing a brother like that, I can only begin to imagine this, because the thought of the possibility of losing my sister crosses my mind all the time since she was diagnosed with cancer, and the feelings she expresses in those words ring so true.

(((Mel)))
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Lumière on January 25, 2008, 01:16:29 pm
From Celebrity Baby Blog:
A look back on Heath Ledger as a father
http://www.celebrity-babies.com/2008/01/tribute-to-cele.html#more

(http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa188/ffrraann/ABC%20Food%20used/heathledgermatildahug_cbb.jpg)


Cheers for that Fran.

I love that picture.
And you can see just how much she looks like him in that pic... :)
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Meryl on January 25, 2008, 01:20:30 pm
A Soulful Talent:  Cherishing Heath Ledger

by Kim Morgan of MSN Movies

http://movies.msn.com/movies/article.aspx?news=294218
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Meryl on January 25, 2008, 01:22:09 pm
Industry Reacts to Heath Ledger's Death

Warner Bros., Focus react to tragedy

By Diane Garrett
Variety

http://movies.msn.com/movies/article.aspx?news=294053
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: souxi on January 25, 2008, 01:29:58 pm
From: People

Tributes

Heath Ledger's Family Pours Out Grief

By Mike Fleeman

Originally posted Thursday January 24, 2008 09:30 PM EST


(http://img2.timeinc.net/people/i/2008/news/080204/heath_ledger6.jpg)


Heath Ledger's family members bared their grief in an Australian newspaper, writing of the heart-wrenching loss of the Hollywood actor – who to them was always a brother or a son.

In one of several messages in the death notices section of the West Australian on Friday, his mother Sally wrote:

Our darling boy, special in so many ways to all of us. You knew you were so loved. You lived life with courage and daring and we are so grateful for the wonderful times we shared. We will be there for Matilda.

His older sister Kate, who called her brother by the pet name "Roast," wrote:

I can hardly breathe when I try to write this. We were the ultimate in soul mates. I feel both my heart and life have been torn apart. I loved our special talks, our daily chats from where ever you were in the world.

I especially loved all the precious time we spent together. We were so fortunate to have you as long as we did. You were so many things to so many people, but to me you were just my little brother.

There will never, ever be another "Heath" and I think that in itself is the greatest tragedy.

I will continue to talk with you everyday and love you just as if you were here. You will never leave my thoughts "Roast", ever.


A Message from His Father

His father Kim, who called his son by the nicknames "Heatho" and "Beef," writes:

My beautiful boy, so loving, so talented, so independent, so caring, so young . . . no more chess games mate . . . this is it, couldn't beat you anyway!

My body aches for the sound of your voice, our chats, our laughs and our life and times together.

Your truly varied artistic skills, insatiable desire to improve and eclectic abilities set you apart from any other person on the planet . . . it had only just started for you ... and for us to further enjoy. We were one, in soul and commitment. Just . . . Father and Son. I will love you forever, Dad.


His Entire Family Writes

And a note signed by his entire family read:

How do we describe our sudden and tragic loss? ... You were the most amazing individual "old soul" in a young man's body.

You so loved us, as we dearly loved you. As a close knit and very private family unit we have observed you so determined yet quietly travelling in your self-styled path in life, nothing would get in your way ... no mountain too tall, no river too wide.

You dreamed your dreams and lived them with passion and intelligent commitment. We have been privileged to accompany you on a ride through life that has simply been amazing and through it all, we have loved each other beyond imagination.

Your true legacy lives on in beautiful little Matilda, who will always remain in the greatest of care. Our hearts are broken.


Reading this breaks your heart doesn,t it.  :'( :'( :'( :'(
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: louisev on January 25, 2008, 02:40:26 pm
I found this over on the Davecullen site:

this was posted on the BBM Yahoo Group:

Send Private On Line Condolances to the family of Heath Ledger Here:
 
http://www.frankecampbell.com/condolences.asp
 
 
And Sign The Public On Line Guest Book Here:
 

 
Frank E. Campbell The Funeral Chapel
1076 Madison Avenue at 81st Street
New York, NY 10028
Telephone: 212 288 3500       Toll Free: 800 423 5928

I posted a private condolence there:

To the parents of Heath Ledger: My heart goes out to you in your loss of your son. You had the pleasure to have known him, but those of us who loved him in his films have the pleasure of having enjoyed his work which will live on.  May he rest in peace.

Louise van Hine
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: opinionista on January 25, 2008, 03:03:29 pm
I found this over on the Davecullen site:

this was posted on the BBM Yahoo Group:

Send Private On Line Condolances to the family of Heath Ledger Here:
 
http://www.frankecampbell.com/condolences.asp
 
 
And Sign The Public On Line Guest Book Here:
 

 
Frank E. Campbell The Funeral Chapel
1076 Madison Avenue at 81st Street
New York, NY 10028
Telephone: 212 288 3500       Toll Free: 800 423 5928

I posted a private condolence there:

To the parents of Heath Ledger: My heart goes out to you in your loss of your son. You had the pleasure to have known him, but those of us who loved him in his films have the pleasure of having enjoyed his work which will live on.  May he rest in peace.

Louise van Hine


Thanks Louise!
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Oregondoggie on January 25, 2008, 03:21:08 pm

Just posted the following on the book of condolences:

To wherever spirits go, 
To whatever pastures lie in the mountains of Heaven,
The stars and the moon guide Heath Ledger.

Eternal joy, Dear Soul...
 
Your Ennis Del Mar gave courage to so many, freed so many hearts from fear.   

Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: belbbmfan on January 25, 2008, 03:24:31 pm
Beautiful words!
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: MaineWriter on January 25, 2008, 03:26:44 pm
I found this website, which says you can post condolences to the family:

POST your condolences to Heath Ledger's family here.

To express your sympathy for Heath Ledger's family, please post your condolences in the story comment section below.


http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,23095560-5008620,00.html
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: mvansand76 on January 25, 2008, 03:39:36 pm
(((Mel)))

Thanks Fabienne...  *hug*
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Meryl on January 25, 2008, 03:40:44 pm
Thanks for the link, Louise.  I posted, too:  My deep condolences to all of Heath's family at this sad time.  By revealing his own heart, he taught us to know ours.  I will miss him very much.

 :'(
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Fran on January 25, 2008, 04:37:41 pm
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/features/20080125-9999-1c25closeup2.html

FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH    DAVID L. CODDON
Heath Ledger deserved better goodbye

UNION-TRIBUNE
January 25, 2008

Ennis Del Mar was a man of few words, but powerful passions. It required an actor possessed of uncommon instinct and courage to bring to the screen the vulnerable and conflicted hero of Annie Proulx's short story, “Brokeback Mountain.”

Heath Ledger was that actor. Without emotional eruptions or cowboy clichés, he inhabited a character whose struggle with a profound love and loss – both beyond his comprehension – was unforgettable.

He died Tuesday at 28. Rarely has the announcement of the Academy Award nominations, made the same day, seemed so unimportant.

An internalizing actor whose film roles consistently defied the leading-man expectations assumed of him, Ledger chose to follow his conscience and his muse. Before “Brokeback,” for which he received an Oscar nomination in 2006, Ledger appeared in “Monster's Ball” and “Lords of Dogtown.” We saw him last year in Todd Haynes' out-there “I'm Not There.” For a movie star, he worked – and lived – about as quietly as did Ennis Del Mar.

How unfitting, then, that the hours following the discovery of Ledger's body in his New York apartment were consumed by a paparazzi-and Internet “media”-feeding frenzy. Among the worst offenders: TMZ.com, which boasts the stink of respectability because it has a TV show and because its managing editor, Harvey Levin, is a recurring talking head on “Today,” among other shows. The site may as well have changed its name to “All Heath All the Time,” updating viewers seemingly by the second with grainy photos and lurid tidbits like: “The People Who Found Heath,” “Jack (as in Nicholson) on Heath: I Warned Him!”, “How Heath's Body Was Discovered,” “Michelle Williams (Ledger's ex-fiance'e and the mother of their child) – Devastated,” and “Inside the Building Where Heath Died.”

There was more: Lindsey (as in Lohan) was distraught at Ledger's death. Ledger was not at the apartment of Mary-Kate Olsen. And photos, photos and more photos of Ledger's body being removed from the building.

TMZ was not alone in – I don't know any other way to say this – the fine art of ghoulish reporting. Culprits abounded – in both mainstream and tabloid coverage.

This isn't the first time we've seen this, and it won't be the last.

I just didn't expect Heath Ledger to be in the middle. Silly, naive me.

Sorry me, too. Sorry for a child named Matilda, now without a father. Sorry for those who read and watch and listen, who deserve better. Sorry for those whom I must accept, like it or not, are my colleagues in the media.

Sorry, most of all, for Heath Ledger, who deserved at least as much dignity as he gave Ennis Del Mar.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Kelda on January 25, 2008, 04:52:10 pm
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article3238923.ece?&EMC-Bltn=X16XP4

Goodbye Heath Ledger, Rest In Peace

s the obituaries roll out, the film most often invoked as a measure of Heath Ledger's skills as an actor is Brokeback Mountain (2005). And certainly Ang Lee's movie about a couple of ill-starred gay ranch-hands brought him deserved worldwide acclaim and an Oscar nomination.

But when I think of how good he was, and how good he might have been, I think of a lesser-known work, Candy, which was released a year later. It was a small, independent film made by a relative unknown called Neil Armfield and starred Abbie Cornish and Ledger as a pair of besotted heroin addicts whose love affair proves as destructive and tragic as the drug on which they are hooked.

The resonance with the reports swirling around Ledger's final hours is all too melancholic and clear. The trajectory of the film is numbingly predictable, but the graphic chemistry is terrifically sensual. For Ledger it was a joy and a relief to be able to do this tough role in his native Australian accent, despite the fact that his paycheque could be counted in beans. Few of his far-flung fans appreciate how isolated prolific actors sometimes feel when they are forced to part from their native drawl.

Cornish was one of the very few actresses to work with Ledger on such a psychologically demanding project. “He isn't just another actor. He has always been a very specific and creative artist,” she told me. “As draining as this film was, it was easy walking into the make-up bus knowing I was going to spend the entire day with him. Working with Heath pushed me to new places.” Candy revealed a taste for the dark side that many of Ledger's professional admirers may not have credited him with before.

His sudden death is a profound shock, one of those rare aberrations in Hollywood in which a bright young actor's life (James Dean, River Phoenix) is stubbed out far too early. Rock stars have precarious lifestyles and exotic addictions, sure. It's in their DNA. But how does a tragedy such as this befall a supposedly healthy workaholic with a number of prolific films in the pipeline? Reports suggest he had suffered a substance abuse problem, but the manner of his death still seems utterly out of sync with what we know of Ledger's personality.

Hollywood has lost him at the moment he was, if not at the peak of his powers, then certainly way into the ascent. How the studios intend to market his last, as yet unreleased, screen performances will be a source of heated debate. One of the films at stake is the new multimillion-pound Batman instalment, The Dark Knight , in which Ledger plays the Joker opposite Christian Bale's caped crusader. Christopher Nolan's film is now finished and is due to dazzle the world in the summer. Yesterday Warner Brothers said the release date (July 25) was still in place; how they will market the movie (early reports say Ledger's Joker is definitive) is another matter.

Last week Ledger was in London working on Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. At the time of writing, representatives for Gilliam said they had no comment to make on the film's release, or Gilliam's feelings at the loss of Ledger.

He was last seen in Todd Haynes's extraordinary homage to Bob Dylan, I'm Not There. Ledger played one of the seven incarnations of Dylan: a butch motorcycling troubadour who has his hands full trying to keep Charlotte Gainsbourg happy.

How to give an inkling of the loss? His solid commitment to films and scripts that he believed in gave him kudos among his peers. He was also a humble heart-throb, managing to defy the poster-boy image that first dogged him.

The 28-year-old was born in Perth, Western Australia. He left school at 17, hitched to Sydney with barely a dollar in loose change in his pocket and got his first real break in a low-budget film called Blackrock (1997). A part in 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) put him on the map. He won plaudits for a cameo in Monster's Ball (2001), and revealed an unexpected talent for comedy in A Knight's Tale (2001).

He could have played the beefcake, the heart-throb, over and over again: he was startlingly handsome with playful eyes and a broad-shouldered swagger. But he didn't.

Reviewing his CV you realise it is littered with curios, parts he obviously took on for love or just the challenge, perhaps most notably his turn as Jacob Grimm in Gilliam's wonderfully bizarre homage to The Brothers Grimm.

Gilliam, who turned out to be his last director, recognised instantly that he had a singular talent in his grasp. Unfortunately that precious talent has been extinguished far, far too early. The frustration is that he would have gone so much farther in roles we will now never see.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Kelda on January 26, 2008, 07:37:05 am
This is an absolutely gorgeous article that I thought should be also posted here

thanks to doodler for finding it

Ijust found this article and thought some other people might enjoy it. It is almost 2 years old but has some wonderful observations pf Heath.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/film/tale-of-an-untrained-homeboy/2008/01/23/1201024944702.html

That was a gorgeous article - Thank you.  :-*
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: MaineWriter on January 26, 2008, 10:16:25 am
From the National Post, Canada:

The enduring masterpiece Ledger left behind


Jonathan Kay,  National Post  Published: Friday, January 25, 2008

"I tell ya there… there were these two old guys ranched up together, down home. Earl and Rich. And they was the joke of town, even though they were pretty tough ol' birds. Anyway they … they found Earl dead in an irrigation ditch."

-- Ennis del Mar,

Brokeback Mountain

Brokeback Mountain, Heath Ledger's acting masterpiece, has been Youtubed, Family Guyed and Saturday Night Lived so many times, that it is sometimes difficult to recall what an astonishingly good film it was. Had Brokeback been the only film Ledger ever made, we would still properly be mourning the loss of one of the world's great actors.

Brokeback is too often pigeonholed as a gay love story. (Wikipedia describes it as "a romantic drama film that depicts the complex romantic and sexual relationship between two men in the American West from 1963 to 1983.") But the homosexuality in the movie was incidental to a larger theme: the random cruelty of the human condition, a condition that allows outside forces to destroy the lives of even the toughest men.

In the case of Ennis del Mar (Ledger) and Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal), the force that destroyed them was in their genes: They were gay men living in a homophobic world. When they were true to their love, they lived in a tiny snow globe of ecstasy. But everywhere else, they were lonely souls living a lie.

Some of the most exquisite vignettes from the movie come when those two worlds collide. Years after seeing the movie, I still remember the brief scene when Jack shows up for seasonal work at Brokeback --hoping to see Ennis again--and is turned away in humiliating fashion by the rancher, who knew their secret. ("You guys wasn't gettin' paid to leave the dogs babysittin' the sheep while you stem the rose.")

Outwardly, these men are the very embodiment of western ruggedness -- especially Ennis, whose bar-fight brutality escalates in accordance with the shame he feels about his sexuality. But inside, they are train wrecks. And Ang Lee deserved the Best Director awards he got for letting that wreckage play out without any sort of deus ex machina or romantic Hollywood gloss.

The wreckage in the film is not really about gay love, or even love itself. It is about powerlessness. Fiddle with the plot, and it would be easy for artists of equal calibre to make essentially the same film about men who are addicted to alcohol, or drugs, or gambling, or are suffering crippling illness,

or who fall hopelessly in love with the wrong woman. When Jack famously says to Ennis " I wish I knew how to quit you," the you could be anything.

This is why so many people who aren't gay, and care nothing for Western vistas and cowboy flicks, were so affected by Brokeback. None of us have control of our lives. The movie is about whatever uncontrollable force we stay up at night worrying about. As in every great film, we read ourselves into it.

In my particular case, Brokeback became a film about fatherhood. Both Ennis and Jack marry and have kids. Jack manages to cobble together an outwardly respectable middle-class family life, even as his marriage deteriorates into a business relationship. But Ennis can't manage the act, and his life spirals into poverty and dysfunction as he throws everything away for the few chances he gets be with Jack.

In one scene -- the one that will leap into my mind every time I think of Ledger's acting career -- Ennis barges into the grocery store where his wife has taken a job to make ends meet. He's got the kids with him, and tells his wife she's got to mind them so he can go off on short notice. He shoves the bewildered kids at the woman and then takes off. Everything about his body language shows that he knows what he's doing is wrong. But he has no choice. This is what's become of his broken life.

It's a wrenching vignette that plays to every man's worst fears about his own abilities as a father. That's the scene that broke me. And it did so because Ledger was a brilliant enough actor to sell it.

The circumstances of Ledger's death this week are murky. We don't know yet whether he committed suicide with sleeping pills; or merely took too many of them, in the wrong combination, by accident. But the interviews he gave in late 2007 suggest a tormented man -- to the point he could barely sleep. I don't want to psychoanalyze an actor I don't know, or proffer facile analogies between his own life and that of his signature screen character. But when I heard the news of Ledger's death, my mind immediately reached to Ennis' grim outlook on life. However successful or happy or tough a lot of us may be on the outside, there is always --always --a vulnerability within that threatens to drag us down into a ditch.

[email protected]

http://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/columnists/story.html?id=261409
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: MaineWriter on January 26, 2008, 11:16:46 am
From MSN Movies:

A Soulful Talent: Cherishing Heath Ledger


Intelligent, sensitive star made every part uniquely his own

By Kim Morgan
Special to MSN Movies

There's a moment in Heath Ledger's far too short, sometimes brilliant film career that makes me so teary eyed, so filled with wistful emotion, that no matter how many times I watch it, I'm still taken aback by its deceptively simple power. No, it's not a scene from Ang Lee's "Brokeback Mountain" (his transcendent performance there makes me weep -- for more obvious reasons); rather, it was his final scene in Catherine Hardwicke's "Lords of Dogtown," that underrated skater picture featuring one of Ledger's most poignant performances.

As Skip Engblom, the crusty, aging uncle/father figure to the kids of Team Zephyr, young Ledger played beyond his years with sublime, quirky effortlessness. As in most of his performances, Ledger imbued what could have been a one-note aging stoner dude with sympathy and soul, dignifying Skip with a disarming, surprisingly heart-wrenching end note: Sanding a surfboard in the back of what was once his kingdom, in what could have been an easy, here's-where-he's-at-now scene. Instead, Ledger fills us with a compelling mixture of sadness and a glimmer of hope that Skip will at least survive this life OK. After his boss orders him to finish a surfboard for some kid, the past lord dutifully, but bitterly, complies. Glumly sitting down, Skip slowly perks up to the lovely opening of Rod Stewart's "Maggie May." Pounding to that infectious double drum beat preceding Stewart's passionate "Wake up, Maggie, I think I got something to say to you," Skip, in a flash of understated joy and release, turns up the radio and sings along. Ledger is so in the moment and so naturally bittersweet that in mere seconds, he makes one remember just how much those little things in life can affect you -- those times or sensations that either make you crash hard or for one wonderful, ephemeral moment, lift you higher.

And Ledger could work those powerful sensations in all of his performances, whether he was gleefully laughing at himself in the giddily entertaining "A Knight's Tale" or silently, desperately pining for his beloved in "Brokeback Mountain." It seems silly to say he was underrated since he received an Academy Award nomination for his tortured cowboy Ennis Del Mar in "Brokeback," but in many respects he was underrated. Given that much of his earlier work was looked upon as the standard, hot young thing pabulum many actors slog through before reaching critical credibility, Ledger was often underappreciated for always being interesting, "10 Things I Hate About You," "The Patriot" and all.

Moving his career to his own fascinating frequency, the Australian Ledger eschewed the predictable romantic comedy/action hero leading man roles that could have followed his splashy, sexy 2000 Vanity Fair cover, anointing him as the latest stud du jour. It reads like a terrific career move, an initial sacrifice but ultimately a rewarding step toward serious movie stardom. But watching Ledger skillfully slip into the skin of a depressive, soft-hearted young man in "Monster's Ball" or embody a brash, sexy rake in "Casanova," I can't imagine the actor having any kind of choice. He was just too sensitive, too interesting, too intelligent an actor to not make any part uniquely his own. And exciting. Watching his psychopathic, perfectly hideous Joker in the trailer for Christopher Nolan's upcoming Batman chapter "The Dark Knight" gives me chills, not only for the dual thrill of seeing two of cinema's greatest, chameleonlike talents (Christian Bale and Ledger, who were also terrific in Todd Haynes' stunning Dylan meditation, "I'm Not There") pitted against one another, but for Ledger's maniacal, edgier take on the legendary supervillain. Ledger's ability to create a Joker that'll out-do Jack Nicholson appears to be unquestionable, and this was clearly yet another important transformative moment in the actor's career.

But I'm discussing Ledger's career in the past tense, something I'm having a tough time wrapping my mind around. He was one of my favorite working actors, an actor I've been advocating and arguing for as someone special and different since his earlier roles, and an actor I now find myself cherishing. Like many of you, I was absolutely stunned and depressed to learn of his death. I can barely grasp the realization as I write this right now. He was only 28 years old. He was in the middle of Terry Gilliam's newest picture, an admirable task since, in spite of how great he was in Gilliam's otherwise messy "The Brothers Grimm," you know someone must have advised him against it. But Gilliam, as troubled as some of his productions have been, is an artist. And so was Ledger.

Thinking of the last movie I saw Ledger in, as the beautiful, romantic but flawed and human "live fast, die young" James Dean-inspired Dylan persona in "I'm Not There," I was filled with sadness, recalling the enchanting, idyllic scenes between Charlotte Gainsbourg and Ledger tuned to Dylan's "I Want You." What bliss. What joy to simply watch Ledger engaging in such bliss. And what a magnificent, soulful talent he was, with so much more to give movies and life. To paraphrase Dylan, we want you, we want you, we want you back, so bad.

Kim Morgan is a film writer who runs the MSN Movies Filter blog and has contributed to many outlets including LA Weekly, Reel.com, DVD Journal, Salon and The Huffington Post. She was a film critic for The Oregonian and served as DVD critic on Tech TV's "The Screen Savers." She's also appeared as guest film critic on AMC's "The Movie Club," E! Television, Reelz, Starz and "Ebert & Roeper." Read her blog at SunsetGun.com.

http://movies.msn.com/movies/article.aspx?news=294218
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: MaineWriter on January 26, 2008, 11:53:27 am
These are the notices published by Heath's family in The West Australian (newspaper). I was able to save them as pictures.

(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/Maine/heath3.jpg)
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: MaineWriter on January 26, 2008, 11:53:45 am
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/Maine/heath2.jpg)
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: MaineWriter on January 26, 2008, 11:54:03 am
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/Maine/heath1.jpg)
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Jeff Wrangler on January 26, 2008, 06:32:53 pm
Does anybody know whether Annie Proulx has issued a statement? I don't see a thread for one here, if she has.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Kelda on January 26, 2008, 07:14:20 pm
Not as far as I know Jeff...
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: louisev on January 26, 2008, 07:35:53 pm
There is a member here who has met Annie Proulx and is a 'friend of a friend' and got word that she was extremely upset about his death.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Jeff Wrangler on January 26, 2008, 09:33:46 pm
There is a member here who has met Annie Proulx and is a 'friend of a friend' and got word that she was extremely upset about his death.

Thanks, Louise. Now that you mention it, I think I ran across a statement like that somewhere. These threads move so quickly. She had such praise for his performance that I wouldn't be surprised if she's upset.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: belbbmfan on January 27, 2008, 08:07:57 am
There is a member here who has met Annie Proulx and is a 'friend of a friend' and got word that she was extremely upset about his death.

Thanks for that Louise. I find it comforting to hear these reactions. Not that I would expect any other type of reaction, but you know what I mean.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Katie77 on January 27, 2008, 08:13:52 am
Provider navigation:
Summary | AAP | AFP | Oddly Enough | Reuters | Photos
 Sunday January 27, 04:07 PM
Tears flow as Ledger's father reads
Heath Ledger adored Australia, loved helping his friends and never became an actor "for fame or fortune", his father Kim said in a message read to a large gathering of Australians and Hollywood stars in Manhattan.

The unexpected letter sent chills through the 1,000 guests inside New York's Waldorf Astoria hotel grand ballroom for the G'Day USA Australia Day Ball.


 
 
Kim Ledger asked Australia's consul-general in New York John Olsen to read the letter.

"Heath is, and always will be, an Australian," wrote Kim, who arrived in the US to escort his son's body back to Perth.

"He adored his home.

"His last two weeks with us over Christmas in Perth were just bliss.

"Heath did not become an actor for the fame or fortune.

"He loved his craft and he loved helping his friends.

"He loved chess and skateboarding too.

"My image of Heath in New York is him with his skateboard, a canvas bag and his beanie.

"That was Heath to me."

The ball was designed as a glamour event to celebrate the end of the two week G'Day USA festival in the US.

The death last Tuesday of one of Australia's great young actors shook the large Australian contingent of celebrities, politicians, trade officials and entertainers in the US as part of G'Day USA.

Organisers altered the program to honour Ledger.

There also were chills and tears when a minute's silence was held in Ledger's honour.

One of 28-year-old actor's iconic photos, a Brokeback Mountain promotional shot of him in a cowboy hat leaning back smiling, was projected on a screen during the tribute.

"The response we have received here in New York about Heath's tragic passing is certainly an indication that Heath is held in high esteem as an exceptionally talented actor," Olsen told AAP.

Ledger would have cracked a smile if he attended the G'Day Ball as the historic Manhattan hotel looked, tasted and smelt like Australia.

Hilary, a merino sheep wearing a G'Day USA designer shirt, shared the Waldorf red carpet with Hollywood glamour girl Jessica Alba, Victoria's Secret model Miranda Kerr, Australian Transformers star Rachael Taylor and actors Julian McMahon and Jack Thompson.

Inside the Waldorf's grand ballroom, the guests sipped Jacob's Creek wine and feasted on a menu co-created by Australian celebrity chefs Luke Mangan and Neil Perry.

Entertainment included performances by Shannon Noll, Christine Anu, the Qantas Choir and, undoubtedly a first for the Waldorf and continuing the sheep theme, a shearing demonstration.

Ledger also will be honoured by famous friends at Monday's Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAG) at Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium.

Ledger, a two-time SAG nominee in 2005 for Brokeback Mountain and an actor revered by his peers, will be honoured with a tribute.

Secrecy also surrounds a memorial service for Ledger in Los Angeles.

Ledger's parents, Kim and Sally, and sister Kate, were in Los Angeles awaiting the arrival of his body from New York.

Ledger's US publicist Mara Buxbaum ruled out a public memorial service for the late actor, although it is believed a private service will take place in coming days.

"There are no plans for a public service," Buxbaum wrote in an email to The New York Times newspaper.

Ledger's former fiancee, Michelle Williams and two-year-old daughter, Matilda, left their Brooklyn home for one of New York's airports with several bags of luggage.

It is expected they will meet Ledger's family in LA and then continue on to Perth for a funeral.

Ledger's family has reason to hold its memorial services in private as some US religious groups have vowed to picket any service to protest the actor's portrayal of a gay cowboy in Brokeback Mountain.

They also would be hoping to avoid a similar media scene to the one outside the New York funeral home when a large group of photographers fought to take photos of Ledger's body being loaded into a hearse.

Ledger was found dead in his Manhattan apartment on Tuesday.

An autopsy on Wednesday failed to find a cause of death. It will take at least a week for the results of toxicology tests to be known, although police sources have said they believe he died from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs.


Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Aloysius J. Gleek on January 27, 2008, 12:22:02 pm
"Heath did not become an actor for the fame or fortune.

"He loved his craft and he loved helping his friends.

"He loved chess and skateboarding too.

"My image of Heath in New York is him with his skateboard, a canvas bag and his beanie.

"That was Heath to me."


Sigh.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Aloysius J. Gleek on January 27, 2008, 12:32:49 pm
There also were chills and tears when a minute's silence was held in Ledger's honour.

One of 28-year-old actor's iconic photos, a Brokeback Mountain promotional shot of him in a cowboy hat leaning back smiling, was projected on a screen during the tribute.

"The response we have received here in New York about Heath's tragic passing is certainly an indication that Heath is held in high esteem as an exceptionally talented actor," Olsen told AAP.

....
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Aloysius J. Gleek on January 27, 2008, 12:39:27 pm
Ledger would have cracked a smile if he attended the G'Day Ball as the historic Manhattan hotel looked, tasted and smelt like Australia.

Hilary, a merino sheep wearing a G'Day USA designer shirt, shared the Waldorf red carpet with Hollywood glamour girl Jessica Alba, Victoria's Secret model Miranda Kerr, Australian Transformers star Rachael Taylor and actors Julian McMahon and Jack Thompson.

Inside the Waldorf's grand ballroom, the guests sipped Jacob's Creek wine and feasted on a menu co-created by Australian celebrity chefs Luke Mangan and Neil Perry.

Entertainment included performances by Shannon Noll, Christine Anu, the Qantas Choir and, undoubtedly a first for the Waldorf and continuing the sheep theme, a shearing demonstration.

Ok, a good laugh through tears!
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: ifyoucantfixit on January 27, 2008, 01:13:08 pm
 »    

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                                    They say

                     The world has gone upside down.
                      We are waiting at your door
                      To see if the things we've heard,
                      Are truth or facts unwound.
                     
                      They say the sun won't rise tomorrow
                      it has perished on its route they say.
                      Lay down to rest with tired eyes.
                      So quiet and in need of rest

                      The sun forgot to rise today
                      While on its daily tour.
                      They say it has lost its way
                      It wil not rise again, today.

                      We still are waiting for the sun
                      To bask in its light
                      It needs to come around so we
                      can lay and rest as is our daily right.

                      They say the sun won't come out today
                      It is staying way down under.
                      It is headed for the place it started.
                      In order to warm and heat that distant way.

                      The sun won't be seen again, they say
                      It has lost its light
                      The sun is gone, for all and all
                      We will no longer see it play

                      The sun will never rise again they say
                      it will stay down under
                      it will stay at rest for all our days
                      While we who love it deeply pray.
                                              janice
                      
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: yb on January 27, 2008, 07:12:14 pm
An article written by Chris Nolan for Newsweek:

Charisma As Natural As Gravity
By Christopher Nolan


Heath Ledger, 28, Actor

Best known for his haunting, Oscar-nominated performance as Ennis Del Mar, one of the gay cowboys in 2005 ' s "Brokeback Mountain," Ledger was a massive young talent on the cusp of greatness when he died last week in New York. The native Australian, who is survived by his 2-year-old daughter, Matilda, had recently finished work on this summer's "Batman" sequel, "The Dark Knight," in which he plays a villain, the Joker. Christopher Nolan, the film's director, shared these memories:

One night, as I'm standing on LaSalle Street in Chicago, trying to line up a shot for "The Dark Knight," a production assistant skateboards into my line of sight. Silently, I curse the moment that Heath first skated onto our set in full character makeup. I'd fretted about the reaction of Batman fans to a skateboarding Joker, but the actual result was a proliferation of skateboards among the younger crew members. If you'd asked those kids why they had chosen to bring their boards to work, they would have answered honestly that they didn't know. That's real charisma—as invisible and natural as gravity. That's what Heath had.

Heath was bursting with creativity. It was in his every gesture. He once told me that he liked to wait between jobs until he was creatively hungry. Until he needed it again. He brought that attitude to our set every day. There aren't many actors who can make you feel ashamed of how often you complain about doing the best job in the world. Heath was one of them.

One time he and another actor were shooting a complex scene. We had two days to shoot it, and at the end of the first day, they'd really found something and Heath was worried that he might not have it if we stopped. He wanted to carry on and finish. It's tough to ask the crew to work late when we all know there's plenty of time to finish the next day. But everyone seemed to understand that Heath had something special and that we had to capture it before it disappeared. Months later, I learned that as Heath left the set that night, he quietly thanked each crew member for working late. Quietly. Not trying to make a point, just grateful for the chance to create that they'd given him.

Those nights on the streets of Chicago were filled with stunts. These can be boring times for an actor, but Heath was fascinated, eagerly accepting our invitation to ride in the camera car as we chased vehicles through movie traffic—not just for the thrill ride, but to be a part of it. Of everything. He'd brought his laptop along in the car, and we had a high-speed screening of two of his works-in-progress: short films he'd made that were exciting and haunting. Their exuberance made me feel jaded and leaden. I've never felt as old as I did watching Heath explore his talents. That night I made him an offer—knowing he wouldn't take me up on it—that he should feel free to come by the set when he had a night off so he could see what we were up to.

When you get into the edit suite after shooting a movie, you feel a responsibility to an actor who has trusted you, and Heath gave us everything. As we started my cut, I would wonder about each take we chose, each trim we made. I would visualize the screening where we'd have to show him the finished film—sitting three or four rows behind him, watching the movements of his head for clues to what he was thinking about what we'd done with all that he'd given us. Now that screening will never be real. I see him every day in my edit suite. I study his face, his voice. And I miss him terribly.

Back on LaSalle Street, I turn to my assistant director and I tell him to clear the skateboarding kid out of my line of sight when I realize—it's Heath, woolly hat pulled low over his eyes, here on his night off to take me up on my offer. I can't help but smile.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/105580
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: MaineWriter on January 27, 2008, 07:24:05 pm
Ah, nice rememberance. Thanks for posting, yb.

L
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Shasta542 on January 27, 2008, 07:27:44 pm
Months later, I learned that as Heath left the set that night, he quietly thanked each crew member for working late. Quietly. Not trying to make a point, just grateful for the chance to create that they'd given him.

Very nice article, YB. Heath -- such a sweetheart.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Brown Eyes on January 27, 2008, 08:00:19 pm
yb thank you so much for posting this really eloquent remembrance by Christopher Nolan.  So, beautifully written.

 :-* :'(


Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Toast on January 27, 2008, 10:37:57 pm
Just watched the SAG awards

The In Memoriam list used the music from the Brokeback Trailer (So Was Red from Shawshank Redemption)

Heath's pic as Ennis by the stream seemed to be added later
in silence
I think it was beautiful.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: BelAir on January 27, 2008, 11:45:53 pm
apologies if this is a repeat, but from Todd Haynes,

"Director Todd Haynes, who befriended and worked closely with Ledger on I'm Not There, also remembered the actor, adding that the past few days have been difficult.

"[Heath] was so special and so extraordinary and a really deep, amazing guy," Haynes said. "It's hard putting this in the past tense. I know everyone, even those who never knew or met him, is finding this really, really hard."

http://heathledgermemorialblog.blogspot.com/
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Aloysius J. Gleek on January 28, 2008, 02:03:33 am

   "It's hard putting this in the past tense. I know everyone, even those who never knew or met him, is finding this really, really hard."


That's exactly it--
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Aloysius J. Gleek on January 28, 2008, 02:18:09 am

"Back on LaSalle Street, I turn to my assistant director and I tell him to clear the skateboarding kid out of my line of sight when I realize—it's Heath, woolly hat pulled low over his eyes, here on his night off to take me up on my offer. I can't help but smile."



Beautiful.

Thank You.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: mvansand76 on January 28, 2008, 12:16:22 pm
That was such a beautiful piece of writing by Nolan, I left a message in the comments field.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Meryl on January 28, 2008, 01:27:39 pm
yb, thanks for that Christopher Nolan article.  I also noticed a link on that blog to this article about Allan Shiach, the Scottish screenwriter and producer who was working with Heath on "The Queen's Gambit."

Saturday, January 26, 2008

'My friend Heath would never commit suicide'

By Brian Pendreigh
SOURCE: Scotsman.com News

TRAGIC Hollywood star Heath Ledger was working with a veteran Scottish screenwriter and producer on what was to be his debut as a film director, it emerged last night.

Allan Shiach, who has a string of hit movies to his name, was due to meet Ledger tomorrow to finalise preparations for The Queen's Gambit, a high-tension drama about a delinquent teenage girl who turns out to be a chess prodigy.

Shiach told Scotland on Sunday he was in e-mail contact with Ledger just days before his death, some of the conversations taking place with the insomniac actor at 5am New York time.

But Shiach dismissed suggestions Ledger may have committed suicide following the break-up of his relationship with actress Michelle Williams.

"He was enthusiastic about getting to the next stage. I can't imagine that it was anything other than accidental," said Shiach, who co-wrote the classic thriller Don't Look Now, with Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland, and was executive producer of Shallow Grave, the black comedy that launched Ewan McGregor's film career.

Ledger, the star of Brokeback Mountain, A Knight's Tale, The Patriot and the forthcoming Batman movie The Dark Knight, was found dead in his New York apartment last Tuesday. The likeliest cause seems to be an overdose of sleeping pills or similar prescription-type drugs, though there have been reports of recreational narcotics.

"He had been clean of drugs for years and years," Shiach insisted. "When I heard he was dead I assumed it was an accident. I still must assume it was an accident. I know he slept short nights, because he used to correspond with me till five in the morning, New York time."

Shiach admitted the 28-year-old Australian star had been hit hard emotionally by his split from partner Williams, with whom he starred in Brokeback Mountain, and by being away from their two-year-old daughter Matilda.

"I watched him two or three times with the kid when I went to his house in New York. He was devoted to that child and would travel back and forth just to see the kid."

But Shiach added that Ledger was making practical plans right up to the day he died about The Queen's Gambit and other matters.

"I spoke to him last week about the schedule and the budget and we were to meet this coming week, on Monday and Tuesday in London. We were down to casting details and things."

Ledger was going to act in the film, as well as direct it. They had offered the lead role to Ellen Page, the Oscar-nominated new star of the comedy Juno. They were waiting for her to confirm acceptance and were planning to shoot in North America and Russia this year.

Shiach, who works in the movie business under the name Allan Scott, revealed Ledger had also set himself a personal goal. "One of his reasons for being interested in The Queen's Gambit was the fact that he was a very, very advanced chess player. He was in fact very close to grandmaster and he said to me he thought he would try and go for grandmaster before we started shooting the movie."

The Queen's Gambit is based on a novel by Walter Tevis, whose other works include The Hustler, The Color Of Money and The Man Who Fell To Earth, all of which have been filmed.

Its central character is Beth Harmon, who grows up in a Kentucky orphanage, where the children are given tranquillisers to keep them quiet.

She learns to play chess with the janitor. She proves a teenage phenomenon, but has become addicted to drugs and is also a habitual thief.

Shiach has had the film rights to The Queen's Gambit for 20 years and wrote the screenplay. At various stages actress Molly Ringwald and the late Italian film director Bernardo Bertolucci were involved.

Ledger, who made his Hollywood debut in 10 Things I Hate About You in 1999, persuaded Shiach to let him direct on the strength of music videos and commercials he had directed. "We worked for about a week in New York and then we worked briefly in LA and then we worked quite a lot in London, because he was in London a lot last year, with Batman as well as the Terry Gilliam film."

Ledger had completed filming the new Batman film, in which he presents a dark new vision of The Joker, and was in the middle of shooting The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus with Gilliam. Production on the latter has been shut down and may be abandoned.

"At the minute, frankly, I am still recovering from the shock and sadness of his death," Shiach said. "He was a lovely and modest and decent and nice man, and how sad it is that we have lost the immense potential that he had. I think he was extraordinary, because he was a very, very thoughtful person."

http://heathledgermemorialblog.blogspot.com/2008/01/my-friend-heath-would-never-commit.html
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: belbbmfan on January 28, 2008, 02:04:26 pm
There's a column in the newspaper I read today by Oscar Van Den Boogaard, a writer who lives in Brussels. The whole article was about the media circus that immediately started as news of Heath Ledger's death emerged. He was watching CNN at the time and couldn't believe all the 'theories' that started flying around, before anyone knew anything (suicide because he didn't get an Oscar nomination, because he was depressed, he was out of control..).
He added that, according to Hollywood insiders, The Dark Knight's release would now get even more media attention because of the morbid curiosity of an audience that wants to see Ledger at work for the last time, or in many cases, for the first time.

But to him Heath Ledger would always remain the man who told Hollywood that kissing another man is just kissing another human being.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Kelda on January 28, 2008, 05:21:42 pm
Thanks yb and meryl both lovely articles
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Aloysius J. Gleek on January 28, 2008, 06:34:58 pm

"At the minute, frankly, I am still recovering from the shock and sadness of his death," Shiach said. "He was a lovely and modest and decent and nice man, and how sad it is that we have lost the immense potential that he had. I think he was extraordinary, because he was a very, very thoughtful person."


Again, beautiful.

(Also, it's lovely to know that people of such quality loved and respected Heath--)
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Andrew on January 28, 2008, 09:46:03 pm
For those who did not see it, here is Daniel Day-Lewis' wonderful, mystical tribute at the SAG awards:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5HAzZ8GgUg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5HAzZ8GgUg)

This was posted yesterday on the SAG thread, but I know many people did not see that or hear there would be a tribute.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Ellemeno on January 29, 2008, 04:10:44 am

But Shiach added that Ledger was making practical plans right up to the day he died about The Queen's Gambit and other matters.

"I spoke to him last week about the schedule and the budget and we were to meet this coming week, on Monday and Tuesday in London. We were down to casting details and things."

Ledger was going to act in the film, as well as direct it. They had offered the lead role to Ellen Page, the Oscar-nominated new star of the comedy Juno. They were waiting for her to confirm acceptance and were planning to shoot in North America and Russia this year.

Shiach, who works in the movie business under the name Allan Scott, revealed Ledger had also set himself a personal goal. "One of his reasons for being interested in The Queen's Gambit was the fact that he was a very, very advanced chess player. He was in fact very close to grandmaster and he said to me he thought he would try and go for grandmaster before we started shooting the movie."

The Queen's Gambit is based on a novel by Walter Tevis, whose other works include The Hustler, The Color Of Money and The Man Who Fell To Earth, all of which have been filmed.

Its central character is Beth Harmon, who grows up in a Kentucky orphanage, where the children are given tranquillisers to keep them quiet.

She learns to play chess with the janitor. She proves a teenage phenomenon, but has become addicted to drugs and is also a habitual thief.

Shiach has had the film rights to The Queen's Gambit for 20 years and wrote the screenplay. At various stages actress Molly Ringwald and the late Italian film director Bernardo Bertolucci were involved.

Ledger, who made his Hollywood debut in 10 Things I Hate About You in 1999, persuaded Shiach to let him direct on the strength of music videos and commercials he had directed. "We worked for about a week in New York and then we worked briefly in LA and then we worked quite a lot in London, because he was in London a lot last year, with Batman as well as the Terry Gilliam film."

http://heathledgermemorialblog.blogspot.com/2008/01/my-friend-heath-would-never-commit.html


This was so interesting.  Damn.  Like BBM, it floated until the right cast and crew may have come together, but now nope.

I just this moment ordered the novel "The Queen's Gambit" from Amazon.  Anyone want to read it with me?
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: dot-matrix on January 29, 2008, 04:54:57 am
http://www.newsweek.com/id/105580 (http://www.newsweek.com/id/105580)

Charisma as Natural as Gravity
By Christopher Nolan
 
Christopher Nolan 's tribute to Heath, he talks about working with Heath on The Dark Knight, what a classy guy Heath was and how he misses him.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Ellemeno on January 29, 2008, 05:00:14 am
This is a long radio interview with Gary Oldman, who worked with Heath on The Dark Knight.

I think it was made the day after Heath died.  He reminisces for quite a while about Heath.  You have to wade through beginning junk at first, but then it's good.

Also a couple of song tributes that Gary Oldman chose.

http://www.indie1031.com/root_mods/media_viewer/view_media.php?pgid=14%20&id=32
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Ellemeno on January 29, 2008, 05:07:50 am
This is the song Gary Oldman dedicated to Heath on the radio show above.  I found this unrelated but beautiful video of it on YouTube.

Pass Me Over
Anthony Hamilton


[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxGWdpRcjlU[/youtube]

Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Ellemeno on January 29, 2008, 05:53:15 am
Here are some lovely words on Heath by Jason Ritter, at Sundance.

I hadn't heard of Jason Ritter, but he is John Ritter's son.  His next movie, incidentally, is called A Hand Full of Beans (which is about all we got left...). 


[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxLZ18XvWr0[/youtube]
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: ennisjack on January 29, 2008, 09:47:50 am
  Not real sure how to take this, but I'll let y'all read it for yourselves.

http://www.nationalledger.com/artman/publish/article_272618513.shtml

Maybe because I'm tired or something, but it doesn't seem to make all that much sense to me.

EJ
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: mvansand76 on January 29, 2008, 09:56:37 am
  Not real sure how to take this, but I'll let y'all read it for yourselves.

http://www.nationalledger.com/artman/publish/article_272618513.shtml

Maybe because I'm tired or something, but it doesn't seem to make all that much sense to me.

EJ

Ugh it's another one of those we-have-no-news-so-we-will-fabricate-it articles.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Jeff Wrangler on January 29, 2008, 10:33:23 pm
I hadn't heard of Jason Ritter, but he is John Ritter's son.  His next movie, incidentally, is called A Hand Full of Beans (which is about all we got left...). 

Jason Ritter played Amber Tamblyn's older brother, who was confined to a wheelchair, in Joan of Arcadia a couple of TV seasons back. FWIW. ...
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: mvansand76 on January 30, 2008, 05:32:36 am
The lyrics to that Hamilton song:

"Pass Me Over"

[Verse 1]
Another day chance to make another chance, a fragile place runnin on empty, a smile so faint
can barely even break his face, world is on shoulders now, don't be afraid, he who knows will make a way,
his word alone is what has kept me, born the son, king of eternal peace, lay your burdens down

[Chorus]
If you catch me dreamin please don't wake me til im done, just leave me sleeping until the
morning come, just pass me over, make believe that im not there just leave me be until the saviour comes

[Verse 2]
Another night makes a way to the morn , sleeping peace joy come early, a covered child steps
away victorious, salvation holds joy surrounds her

[Chorus 2x]

Pass me over
Pass me over
Pass me over
Til the saviour comes [repeat]
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Ellemeno on January 30, 2008, 05:37:37 am
Thanks Jeff and Mel.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: belbbmfan on January 30, 2008, 07:23:42 am
Wes Bentley, Heath's co-star from The Four Feathers, remembers Heath as 'a vibrant man'.

The reclusive actor Wes Bentley made a rare public statement Tuesday to remember his friend Heath Ledger as a "man who spread so much spark to so many people."

Capitalizing letters for emphasis, the American Beauty star described Ledger, who was found dead last week, as "a Vibrant Man, a Brave Actor, a Passionate Father and a Friend Forever."

"Heath was an essential piece of my Life," wrote Bentley, 29, who costarred with Ledger in 2002's Four Feathers. "At one point we were as close as two people could get without being blood. That closeness came from sharing a similar, life-altering experience in life at a young age where very few could relate and those who could often were pre-occupied with competition. It would have been isolating, not to mention boring, without him."

Added Bentley, who didn't make another film until five years after Four Feathers, "I don't know if I could have come back without him."

In fact it was because of Bentley turning down a part that Ledger got one of his breakthrough roles: that of the suicidal prison guard's son in Monster's Ball.

"(Wes) was signed up to play that part and he pulled out in the last minute because he really doesn't like to work that much," Ledger said in 2005. "I think they were threatening to sue him. So he asked me to do this for him to get him out of trouble. It was a great opportunity for me and I took it. It was a nice gift from Wes.

In his statement, Bentley urged people to "resist our routine chore of dwelling on a celebrities moments at Death, taking what is essentially inconsequential to a man's definition and making it his Legacy."

"While most of us forget we're alive and are dead on our feet, Heath woke up everyday excited about what was out there to enjoy," wrote Bentley. "He lived in a way that spread so much spark to so many people every day he had. Heath not only lived for himself, if he could've he would Lived for all of us as well. That was his way."



http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20174775,00.html (http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20174775,00.html)
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: MaineWriter on January 30, 2008, 08:12:53 am
Here's a rather lukewarm tribute from PerthNow, Australia:

By movie critic Margaret Pomeranz

January 30, 2008 03:00pm

THE shocking news of Heath Ledger's death has devastated not only those close to him, but those of us who knew him through his work in film, writes The Movie Show critic Margaret Pomeranz.


We knew him because he actually shared something of himself with us, a vulnerability, a mischievousness, an intelligence and certainly a major talent.

It would have been easy for Heath to take his talent and his screen charisma for granted, but he didn't do that, he pushed boundaries in the roles he chose.

He was daring and certainly very astute in choosing to work with directors such as Marc Forster with that splendid small role in Monster's Ball . It made us all sit up and take notice.

To play a gay cowboy took a good deal of courage, but obviously he knew that director Ang Lee would steer Brokeback Mountain with a sure hand. It was a great choice for him to make, as was his decision to return to Australia to work with director Neil Armfield and writer Luke Davies on Candy.

The tragedy is that you feel that Heath wasn't at the peak of his career, he'd achieved a lot but you felt that more wonderful work was still to come.

There is such a sadness that he was so young, so talented, seemingly so good at handling the superficialities of the industry in which he was involved.

And so damned nice! What a loss.


http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,23132845-948,00.html
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: belbbmfan on January 30, 2008, 11:16:37 am
Here's a rather lukewarm tribute from PerthNow, Australia:

By movie critic Margaret Pomeranz

The tragedy is that you feel that Heath wasn't at the peak of his career, he'd achieved a lot but you felt that more wonderful work was still to come.

There is such a sadness that he was so young, so talented, seemingly so good at handling the superficialities of the industry in which he was involved.

And so damned nice! What a loss.


http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,23132845-948,00.html


Umm, maybe someone should send this woman a dvd of Brokeback Mountain?  ::) Just a suggestion...
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: BBM-Cat on January 30, 2008, 11:39:30 am
LOL Fabienne - maybe that's what we can do with our extra funds - start educating people on BBM! Free DVD included.  :D
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: LauraGigs on January 30, 2008, 12:33:24 pm
I think Wes Bentley's written tribute was wonderful.  It fills in a lot of blanks, in a way.  A lot of people close to Heath are probably in no emotional shape to make a 'statement', and he has come out with something heartfelt and dignified.

Go Wes!
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: mvansand76 on January 30, 2008, 01:01:09 pm
I think Wes Bentley's written tribute was wonderful.  It fills in a lot of blanks, in a way.  A lot of people close to Heath are probably in no emotional shape to make a 'statement', and he has come out with something heartfelt and dignified.

Go Wes!

Yup! I agree. Another actor to put on our Favorite People list...  ;)
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: yb on January 30, 2008, 01:05:52 pm
I have not read all the tributes, but to me Christopher Nolan's has to be among the best, you could clearly tell the love he has for Heath. 
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: MaineWriter on January 30, 2008, 01:14:27 pm
I have not read all the tributes, but to me Christopher Nolan's has to be among the best, you could clearly tell the love he has for Heath. 

I thought the one from A.O. Scott in the New York Times was also excellent. It should be near the very beginning of this thread, it came out last Wednesday.

L
Title: Re: An Actor Whose Work Will Outlast the Frenzy
Post by: mvansand76 on January 31, 2008, 12:01:01 pm
I thought the one from A.O. Scott in the New York Times was also excellent. It should be near the very beginning of this thread, it came out last Wednesday.

L



Quote
Mr. Ledger’s work will outlast the frenzy. But there should have been more. Instead of being preserved as a young star eclipsed in his prime, he should have had time to outgrow his early promise and become the strange, surprising, era-defining actor he always had the potential to be.


 :'( :'(
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Fran on January 31, 2008, 12:52:39 pm
Re:  Margaret Pomeranz's The tragedy is that you feel that Heath wasn't at the peak of his career, he'd achieved a lot but you felt that more wonderful work was still to come.

I think she was trying to say that Heath just kept getting better and better, with each performance becoming more and more amazing.

If Heath was already at the peak of his career, then the only place to go would be down.  In her opinion, he still was moving up and even better stuff was yet to come.

It's complimentary, IMO, but it could have been worded better.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: ennisD on January 31, 2008, 07:37:51 pm
I am sorry if this has been posted before. This is probably the most amazingly beautiful video tribute to Heath.

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UpwlBGFK10[/youtube]

I hadn't really cried and still find it hard to believe that Heath is no longer with us. This vid is the first one that actually made me cry like a baby. It is a wonderfully crafted tribute. My sincere condolences to his family and loved ones. Hugs to all of you.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Meryl on January 31, 2008, 10:04:55 pm
I am sorry if this has been posted before. This is probably the most amazingly beautiful video tribute to Heath.

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UpwlBGFK10[/youtube]

I hadn't really cried and still find it hard to believe that Heath is no longer with us. This vid is the first one that actually made me cry like a baby. It is a wonderfully crafted tribute. My sincere condolences to his family and loved ones. Hugs to all of you.

Ach, so sad and beautiful.  Ennisjack.com totally got it right.  Thanks for posting that, ennisD.  :'(  :'(  :'(
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Aloysius J. Gleek on January 31, 2008, 11:13:37 pm
Gorgeous.

After the stills (with beautiful music), at 8:29, there is video of the 421 Broome Street Memorial; I can see that the video was taken in the late afternoon on Wednesday, January 23, 2008, but no later than fairly early on Thursday, January 24--I know the individual offerings so well (The Hat, The Boot, etc.)--

If I may, I'd like to copy the video and post it again in the 421 Broome Street thread, if it hasn't been done already.

It's not just to be the completist in me, but because Kelda and her friend George have made a link from IMDb. It seems important, some how.

Thanks, ennisD. Thanks, Meryl!

xxx
John
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Ellemeno on February 01, 2008, 04:46:36 am
Could Ledger be screen legend?
By Chris Kaltenbach | Baltimore Sun Movie Critic
February 1, 2008

Hollywood legends are a funny thing. They're not always a matter of longevity; if they were, there would be no more revered figure in movie history than Lillian Gish, and how many people younger than 40 have even heard of her? They don't necessarily reflect youth snuffed out before its time; Brad Renfro's recent death, though undeniably tragic, hasn't guaranteed him a spot in the Hollywood firmament. And they don't necessarily have much to do with the quality of the work. Deborah Kerr was an extraordinarily gifted actress with a surprising range, but you don't see her image turning up on key chains and Internet tributes.

Heath Ledger had made only 13 films outside his native Australia when he died way too soon last week at age 28, and he spent fewer than eight years on the international film scene. But his death has had a profound impact on filmgoers, especially younger fans who, no doubt, saw a kindred spirit in the complex, conflicted characters he brought to the screen.



The response has been extraordinary, both for its depth and its apparent sincerity. In our media-obsessed world, the death of any celebrity strikes a resounding chord, one often out of sync with that person's fame or cultural impact. Witness the out-of-control media circus that ensued for weeks after the death of Anna Nicole Smith, a one-time Playboy model and reality-show star whose death garnered more attention than that of former President Gerald R. Ford.

Ledger's death hasn't achieved that garish level, despite the attempts of various TV celebrity magazines and entertainment show hosts to fan the flames. His fans' affections seem genuine, their respect for his work well-earned, their grief over his sad fate heartfelt.

"I tried to watch 10 Things I Hate About You, but I don't know why I just started to cry and turned it off," one visitor to imdb.com's message board wrote earlier this week. "I'm back to being distraught and crying every time I hear about Heath or watch one of his movies," said another. "I guess it's really sunk in that he's not coming back ... "

Another post, written a week after his Jan. 22 death, began with the simple word "why" repeated 18 times.

It's certainly true that Ledger had talent, and that it had barely been tapped. His performance as a jail guard unwilling to follow his father and grandfather's racist example in Monster's Ball so moved actor Daniel Day-Lewis that he had to fight back tears while recalling it during Sunday's Screen Actors Guild Awards show. Ledger's Oscar-nominated turn in Brokeback Mountain, as a cowboy in love with another man who constantly denies himself the happiness we all deserve, resonated with audiences and helped a gay love story bring in more than $83 million at U.S. box offices.

Perhaps it's too early to measure Ledger's lasting impact. It hasn't even been determined yet how he died, whether it was an accidental drug overdose or suicide, or even whether the pills found scattered on the floor around his body were the primary cause. In recent days, a video has turned up that apparently shows Ledger at a Hollywood party, talking about drug use. What effect might that video have on his legacy?

It's telling that the actors to whom Ledger is most often compared in the wake of his death, are Marlon Brando and James Dean. Brando was a true original, a determined nonconformist who brought a startlingly gritty, realistic acting style to movies that revolutionized the medium. When his onscreen character in The Wild One, a motorcyclist for whom anarchy appeared nothing short of a career choice, was asked, "What are you rebelling against," his answer was, 'Whaddya got?" A whole generation nodded in agreement.

For his part, Dean rocketed to stardom in 1955's Rebel Without a Cause, playing a chronically misunderstood, outcast teen. Two films later, Dean was dead, killed when his speeding Porsche collided with another car on a California road - just hours after a state trooper had given him a speeding ticket.

Brando and Dean spoke to members of younger generations who felt chronically out of touch with their elders, who felt disconnected from the values they espoused and the traditions they held dear. Ledger, who specialized in young characters asked to grow up too fast, uncertain of their footing and wary of those offering help, seems to have been cut from much the same cloth.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/bal-to.kaltenbach01feb01,0,6749332.story
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Ellemeno on February 01, 2008, 07:22:49 am
‘Juno’ Star Ellen Page Reflects On Would-Be Director Heath Ledger
7 Comments  |  Published by Larry Carroll on Thursday, January 31, 2008 at 5:46 pm.
Naturally, everyone in Hollywood these days is still shaken over last week’s tragic death of Heath Ledger. Few, however, had been in touch with the actor recently quite like “Juno” star Ellen Page, who had been in talks to star in Heath’s intended directorial debut, “The Queen’s Gambit.”

“It was talked about,” the Oscar-nominated actress said of her possibly taking the lead role in an adaptation of the novel about an orphan who becomes a chess prodigy. “But, you know,” she sighed, shaking her head, “obviously, that’s not the [most important thing right now].”

Recently, our own Josh Horowitz remembered a touching conversation he once had with the 28-year-old about their shared love of the sport of kings. In his final few years, Ledger had been making plans to slide into the director’s chair with “Gambit,” employing both his movie-making experience and his reported skills as a grandmaster-level chess player.

“It’s just extremely tragic,” Page said of her almost-director. The project has now stalled, of course, but to Page that’s barely a minuscule afterthought in this tragic tale.

“I wish his family the best, and I hope his privacy is respected,” she said. “That’s what’s getting out of control, and it’s becoming too much. Hopefully that will begin to end, that intensity.”

Would Heath have been a good director? Why or why not? Weigh in with your thoughts below.

  Comments (7)    

7 Responses to “‘Juno’ Star Ellen Page Reflects On Would-Be Director Heath Ledger”

Aussie Rob Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 7:51 pm
I think he would have been a great director weather it be while he was young or later in life. R.I.P Heath Ledger an aussie legend.

Erika Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 8:04 pm
I think Heath would’ve been a great director. Unfortunately I never saw the two music videos that he had directed, but judging by the movies he’s been in he probably knew what a great director entails. If you look at the work of Ang Lee, and the director of The Patriot and The Dark Knight (as little as we have seen), he has obviously worked with some great directors and seemed to be a jack of all trades in not just movies but in all arts. From music to painting to acting to directing, I believe he could’ve done anything. Rest in peace…

sharbari Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 9:34 pm
he could have done anything he wanted to and he would have done it with grace, compassion, intelligence and passion. His passing robs us of a truly wondrous talent.
He would have been a brilliant director because he was a brilliant actor.

Brad Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 10:03 pm
Well, I think it was James Schamus who said Heath made the decision to switch the shirts inside out at the end of Brokeback Mountain, symbolizing Ennis’ need to protect Jack like Jack had always done, him. I thought that was a really brilliant idea, and it worked really effectively in the movie. It’s things like that and his genuine interest in directing that make me think he had serious potential as a director.

Sandra Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 10:29 pm
Of course he would have been a great director-thats a given undoubtedly.
He had the privilege of having these gifts from a very young age. It takes a very special person to be able to connect with his inner talents and he recognised them from an early age which is a very big plus.

bruce Says:
January 31st, 2008 at 11:10 pm
I reflect back in my mind over the images of Heath’s work. I see the sensitivity and insight of a genius captured in minute detail in his performances. It is only a logical extension that we would have seen him as a great director. Though we will never know, can you imagine the world without Lucas or Spielberg? I think he would have been that caliber of director.
Sadly, the tremendous thoughtfulness that characterized his style seems to have overwhelmed his emotional capacity to manage it all. I am surprised how difficult it is for me to process this. Here I am a complete stranger to this man, saddened further as I consider the loss to his friends, family, and most of all the little girl who will not even be able to remember her most awesome dad.

fanshawe Says:
February 1st, 2008 at 4:18 am
If his shorts made Chris Nolan feel old, as he wrote in his tribute, he would probably have made a decent director. Too bad we’ll never know.

http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2008/01/31/juno-star-ellen-page-reflects-on-would-be-director-heath-ledger/
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Peachy on February 02, 2008, 09:56:34 am
Re Margaret Pomeranz, I agree with Fran.  Pomeranz was a big fan of Brokeback Mountain - she thought it a beautiful film.  I think she meant Heath could go on to even greater achievements.  A quote from The West Australian:

Film critic Margaret Pomeranz has described the death as devastating.
Pomeranz said she was shocked by the news of the 28-year-old actor's death.
"I am so upset, I just can't tell you," Pomeranz told ABC radio.
"I mean he is such a talented boy and really, I think a beautiful soul.
"And I think to choose the roles he chose shows such intelligence."

:)

Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: TOoP/Bruce on February 04, 2008, 07:41:18 am
http://www.smh.com.au/news/heath-ledger/courageous-explorer-of-masculinity/2008/01/24/1201157557017.html

Courageous explorer of masculinity

Reed Johnson

January 25, 2008


THIS underachieving decade has been a troubled one for the concept of masculinity.

As much as any serious actor of his generation, Heath Ledger grappled on screen with the shifting, clashing ideals of what masculinity might mean in the 21st century. He wrestled, painfully and often movingly, with trying to reconcile manhood's competing claims of duty, honour, love, sexuality, work and loyalty.

Ledger seemed to steer away from the boozy "I-love-you-man!" sentimentality that so many young male performers fall back on in order to reassure their fans that underneath whatever emotionally layered character they may be portraying, they still have that ol' swagger.

He had a basso profundo ruggedness about him, a cragginess that had begun to nip at his youthful beauty. But he was not afraid to show a deeper vulnerability, a self-doubt that apparently mirrored the actor's own soul. "I like to do something I fear," he told the Los Angeles Times in 2005. "I like to be afraid of the project … There's a huge amount of anxiety that drowns out any excitement I have toward the project."

Ledger gave vent to obsessive, over-the-top emotional states that Western popular culture, since at least the Romantic period, more commonly has assigned to women. His brave, emotionally naked performances, typically shorn of protective irony, exposed him to risks that some other stars avoid.

Even, or perhaps especially, at his most tight-lipped and stoic, as the lovesick cowboy Ennis Del Mar in Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain, Ledger conveys the sublime inner torment that comes from willingly sacrificing everything, even your sense of self, in exchange for a few stolen moments with an object of desire.

Marlon Brando and James Dean remain the gold standard of ambivalent masculinity in postwar Hollywood. A handful of young actors will keep trying to express those ambiguities. But one wonders when another image of a male character, or two, will take hold of the imagination as firmly as the poster design for Brokeback Mountain.

The movie's representation of the ultimate American rugged individualist, in tears, gives rise to powerful, uncomfortable emotions at a time when America itself has been humbled and, in the eyes of much of the world, emasculated.

Los Angeles Times
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Katie77 on February 04, 2008, 08:21:13 am
Wow.....what a compliment he gives to our Heath........and to the movie BBM.....

he found words to describe Heath that I've never heard before, but oh so true...oh so true.....
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: TOoP/Bruce on February 04, 2008, 02:34:42 pm
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/arts/reellife/jan08/heathcandy.htm

Heath Ledger's real tour de force
Posted by Tim Robey on 04 Feb 2008  at 14:00

I'd been planning to rewatch Candy, Australian director Neil Armfield's harrowing 2006 drama about the relationship between a pair of heroin addicts, even before the news came through that its leading man Heath Ledger had died of a drug overdose.

In the days after his death, news story after appreciation after obituary singled out Brokeback Mountain as Ledger's crowning achievement, and nothing should be said to put a dent in that: it was not only his moment of greatest acclaim and exposure but, by any reckoning, a wonderful performance, fine-tuned and gruffly moving, in a film that had caught the popular imagination like no other in 2005.

My thoughts, though, kept returning to Candy, a neglected film outside its native Australia, and a follow-up vehicle for Ledger that had blown me away at the time of its brief UK release. If Brokeback's Ennis Del Mar was, and will always remain, Ledger's most iconic part, was it not possible that this was his real tour de force, the moment when he stretched himself most as a screen actor, dug most deeply? Feeling like a bit of a hearse-chasing opportunist, but justifying it in some way as an act of mourning, I bought the DVD to find out.

I wasn't wrong – watching this painful, personal, and oddly lyrical film is the best way I've found to work out one's feelings about the death of its star. Not only is his work as the cowardly, feckless hero Dan every bit as startling as I'd remembered, but it stands up now as the most open, revealing performance of his career, and the one which gave us the fullest sense of his capabilities.

Ennis Del Mar, quite by design, was a closed sort of performance. Closed if not closeted: Ledger is hiding himself from us, and the other characters, in the vast majority of his scenes. Until the very last moments of the film, which we spend alone with him and Jack Twist's shirt, the point is that Ledger's Ennis has spent most of Brokeback backing away from his feelings, or at least not fully owning up to them. The performance was a careful retreat into mumbling, self-imposed solitude, and a kind of emotional autism.

But when Ledger's Dan gives into the bliss of a pure heroin high in Candy, or watches and waits in the car while his girlfriend (Abbie Cornish) sells her body to buy them their next hit, or slumps whimpering in the shower while his entire frame screams at him to fuel the addiction, the mixture of emotions that plays out on his face is extraordinarily frank and complicated. Ledger's acting here is such a naked high-wire act it's almost embarrassing, which is exactly as it should be. Dan has nothing to hide except his own weakness, which he hides abysmally, and no public image to project except the one that's slightly less off his face than he typically is.

Far outclassing his perfectly adequate co-star – who, for reasons that puzzle me, won the greater share of acclaim for this – Ledger responds to every challenge of his part with conviction, sensitivity, sympathy, hilarious candour, frightening believability, and a spark that stays alight, deep down, even when the character becomes a virtual shell of himself. It's hard not to be curious about what well of personal experience he may, or must, have tapped in this performance. But it's even harder to deny, having seen it, that Ledger was an amazing actor.

Posted by Tim Robey on 04 Feb 2008 at 14:00
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: mvansand76 on February 04, 2008, 03:20:09 pm
Was this posted already? If yes, I will delete it...

http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1705981,00.html?xid=feed-cnn-topics&iref=werecommend (http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1705981,00.html?xid=feed-cnn-topics&iref=werecommend)

"Ledger leaves behind a career of great promise, a too small body of films and the sense that he never admired his work as much as others did."
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: louisev on February 04, 2008, 05:15:41 pm
I snagged this off a signature line on another forum, I had not seen a statement before from any of the producers of BBM but here is one apparently!


"Heath Ledger was a courageous actor, and a great soul. He gave us the gift of sharing his fearless and beautiful love – of his craft, and of all who worked with him – for which all of us will be eternally grateful," says James Schamus, CEO of Focus Features and  the producer of Brokeback Mountain
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Ellemeno on February 05, 2008, 03:24:43 am
Drector Terry Gilliam on Heath:

In an interview last month, a few days after shooting started on "Parnassus," Gilliam said, "Heath is extraordinary. He's just so good, and he's going to be a film director. He's watching everything, and he's going to be a much better director than I will ever be."

http://www.variety.com/VR1117979535.html?query=The+Imaginarium+of+Dr+Parnassus
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Ellemeno on February 06, 2008, 06:15:25 am
Diddy Remembers Heath Ledger


After a stint on Broadway and a TV adaptation of A Raisin in the Sun (premiering Feb. 25), Sean "Diddy" Combs has developed a healthy acting career, but it all really started for him back in 2001. That year, the mogul appeared in Monster's Ball alongside Heath Ledger, whom he remembers as a thoughtful and always helpful friend.

"When I first arrived on set, the first person I saw was Heath Ledger," Diddy tells OK!. "He kind of took me aside and was there for me. We didn’t have to work the first day I was there, so me and him kind of hung out that day and kind of became acquaintances."

Naturally so, Diddy was nervous and blew his first few takes, only to have the late actor offer him some encouraging words.

"He kind of pulled me to the side and told me to relax and gave me some pointers. That’s just the kind of person he was," he says. "He always talked in a whisper and he always had a great energy about him."

Diddy, 38, adds that the two kept in touch and were planning to get together soon.

"I saw him a couple of weeks before he passed and we said that we were going to get together. That just goes to show you how short life is, but he truly will be missed."

http://www.okmagazine.com/news/view/4320
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Fran on February 06, 2008, 01:04:53 pm
[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Mf7zJbqi4Q[/youtube]

From YouTube:

About This Video

"Heath Ledger called me up and said, 'Ben, I'm having a baby and you need to write a lullaby for my baby girl'.
I obliged and out came Happily Ever After in Your Eyes.''

http://attitude.themercury.news.com.au/cheese_harper.htm
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: mvansand76 on February 06, 2008, 02:45:07 pm
[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Mf7zJbqi4Q[/youtube]

From YouTube:

About This Video

"Heath Ledger called me up and said, 'Ben, I'm having a baby and you need to write a lullaby for my baby girl'.
I obliged and out came Happily Ever After in Your Eyes.''

http://attitude.themercury.news.com.au/cheese_harper.htm



Thank you for posting, but oh my God, I'm such a mess right now, I can't stop thinking about Matilda never knowing her father, even though there is nobody in the world who looks more like him than she does...


Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: moremojo on February 06, 2008, 02:52:16 pm
Thank you for posting, but oh my God, I'm such a mess right now, I can't stop thinking about Matilda never knowing her father, even though there is nobody in the world who looks more like him than she does...
It may be some consolation to reflect that Matilda did interact with her father, and he her, and in this sense did know him, however briefly. It's very unlikely she will retain much if any memory of him, but there will be many wonderful people in her life who will share precious stories of him with her, and she will also be able to explore the significant body of work he leaves behind. And she carries some of that legacy within herself simply by virtue of being his child.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: mvansand76 on February 06, 2008, 02:56:44 pm
It may be some consolation to reflect that Matilda did interact with her father, and he her, and in this sense did know him, however briefly. It's very unlikely she will retain much if any memory of him, but there will be many wonderful people in her life who will share precious stories of him with her, and she will also be able to explore the significant body of work he leaves behind. And she carries some of that legacy within herself simply by virtue of being his child.

Thank you, moremojo, that's comforting.... :-*
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Ellemeno on February 06, 2008, 03:22:25 pm
Fran, that video is incredibly beautiful.  Thank you for finding it for us.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: souxi on February 06, 2008, 03:24:16 pm
That was beautiful. Just think, one day someone will play that to Matilda, then she,ll realise just how much her daddy loved her.  :'( :'( :'( :'( :'(
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Ellemeno on February 08, 2008, 03:22:59 am
Lang reflects on Ledger
George Lang talks to Angi Bruss about his last interview with the late Heath Ledger.

Includes some audio of the interview.  Lang says that, even when he went back after Heath died and listened to the tape, he could find no clue that this tragedy was going to happen.

http://www.newsok.tv/?bctid=1409013936&bclid=932553089
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Ellemeno on February 08, 2008, 06:40:30 am
Neighbors shocked by Ledger's death
BY ROBERT DOMINGUEZ
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Saturday, January 26th 2008, 3:09 AM
 
Ledger, who plays The Joker in The Dark Knight, became a bona fide New Yorker who shunned the spotlight and seemingly found peace in Brooklyn.
Heath Ledger became an actor in his native Australia, found fame in Hollywood and earned an Oscar nomination for playing a gay ranch hand from Wyoming.
But in the last years of his life, the 28-year-old co-star of "Brokeback Mountain" became a bona fide New Yorker who shunned the spotlight and seemingly found peace in Brooklyn.
Ledger, found dead Tuesday in a SoHo apartment, had been living a low-key life in Brooklyn's chic Boerum Hill neighborhood up until his split late last summer from Michelle Williams, his longtime girlfriend and "Brokeback" co-star.
Before settling down with Williams, Ledger had relationships with actresses Heather Graham and Naomi Watts.
Stunned neighbors remembered Ledger as a "down-to-Earth guy" who loved to hang out at the area's bookstores, eat fish dishes in trendy Smith St. restaurants and sip coffee in hip little shops like Cafe Nova on Court St.
He was often seen skateboarding or strolling along the area's quiet streets with Williams and their 2-year-old daughter, Matilda.
"It's just so shocking to hear," said Zack Zook, 23, whose family owns BookCourt, a bookstore on Court St., in Cobble Hill, where Ledger used to come in with his family.
"He was a wonderful gentleman. He was a really nice, down-to-Earth guy," said Zook, who last saw Ledger in late summer. "He was friendly, like a real person."
At Saul, a Smith St. restaurant a few blocks away from the couple's Hoyt St. townhouse, staffers said Ledger never put on celebrity airs.
"Just a nice guy, straightforward, very polite," said Robert Darch, 46, a waiter-bartender at the restaurant.
"He once turned me onto a nonalcoholic drink - lemon-lime bitters. He came in and ordered them and told me how to make them. He actually offered to give me a taste of his."
Ledger, who moved into Boerum Hill in 2005 after meeting Williams on the "Brokeback" set, actively opposed the proposed $3.5 billion Atlantic Yards development project that threatened to change the face of the neighborhood - one he'd come to cherish.
"I like everything," he said in an interview. "I adore it. I love my neighbors and the coffee shop down the road. We're left [alone] there to live. That's the thing in New York City: You're protected by numbers in a way, particularly Brooklyn."
Following his breakup last year with Williams, Ledger left the borough and was living in downtown Manhattan between working on such movies as "The Dark Knight," a Batman film in which he plays the Caped Crusader's archenemy, the Joker.
Ledger quickly became linked to a slew of starlets and models after the split, including Helena Christensen, Kate Hudson and Lindsay Lohan. His last flame was 20-year-old Aussie supermodel Gemma Ward, who is from Ledger's hometown of Perth.
Heathcliff Andrew Ledger was born in Perth, Western Australia. His mother, Sally, was a French teacher; his father, Kim, was a racecar driver and mining engineer.
Ledger quit school at 16 to become an actor and was soon cast as a gay cyclist in an Australian TV series, "Sweat."
He made his film debut in "Blackrock," a 1997 Aussie movie. Two years later, he co-starred in a U.S.-made teen comedy, "10 Things I Hate About You."
Hollywood took notice when he was cast as Mel Gibson's strong-willed son in the 2000 American Revolutionary War drama "The Patriot."
Ledger followed that with memorable roles in such films as "Monster's Ball," "The Order" and the adventure-romance "A Knight's Tale."
He became an A-lister in 2005, when Ledger played 1960s sheepherder Ennis Del Mar in "Brokeback Mountain." The controversial film - Ledger's stoic character falls in love with a cowboy played by Jake Gyllenhaal - garnered Ledger an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.
[email protected]
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2008/01/23/2008-01-23_neighbors_shocked_by_ledgers_death.html
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: MaineWriter on February 08, 2008, 06:23:24 pm
URL: http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/18355273/heath_ledger_1979_8211_2008

Rollingstone.com

Heath Ledger (1979 – 2008)
A tribute to the reluctant star, whose finest roles eerily mimicked his all-too-short life

David Lipsky

Posted Feb 08, 2008 9:00 AM


He arrived onscreen looking windy and fresh, as if he'd just blown in from someplace else. His face just missed being pretty; there was the tiny, precise mouth, but also the mulish neck and shoulders and then the rich tobacco roll of the voice. He became a locus of passionate admiration, the senior you hoped to be as a freshman. Two days after Heath Ledger's death, at the age of twenty-eight, Daniel Day-Lewis halted an appearance in the confessional of Oprah. "I'm sorry … it just seems somehow strange to be talking about anything else," the actor said. "I didn't know him. I have an impression, a strong impression, that I would have liked him very much, as a man, if I had."

We count on our performers for many things — as demonstrators of excellence, as figures of monstrous envy — but we rarely expect to feel luckier than they are, and never anticipate they will leave without a speech. Friends tell me they can't stop thinking about Ledger; none can explain why, some apologize for the absurdity, in a nation at war, to find this outpouring of sympathy and shock directed towards one man. But stars embody our dream lives. They're who we intend to be, once we get the job stuff settled, find the person we'll love, once the shooting is over and we're finally at home. Stars embody one quality; that's what makes them stars. And Ledger was a star in a very particular way. To stare at him — and in theaters and living rooms, we stare with an intensity we exercise nowhere else — was to receive a sense of capacity, power, and potential, a kind of perfectly vivid health and youth. That's why his death feels wrong, and why the response has felt primitive, tribal. It means youth and vitality aren't enough. It's like losing a season.

The story moved swiftly, with unpredictable reversals of field. A massage therapist discovered his body on a Tuesday afternoon, face down in his Manhattan bedroom. By evening, the named culprit was recreational drugs, an overdose; pills were reported strewn by his bedside. By Wednesday, these turned out to be prescription medications, neatly stowed in bottles and foil wrap and a rolled-up bill had been inspected and cleared of charges. The substances were Xanax, Valium and Ambien, which made Ledger's bedroom just like a thousand others in downtown Manhattan, home of the anxious, the ambitious, the sleepless. There was the sight of Michelle Williams — his ex-fiancée, mother of his daughter, Matilda — in a car bound for the airport, resembling a first lady in mourning. (Arriving in Brooklyn, what stuck was not the pale blue lightning of the digital cameras, but the sight of chauffeurs and bodyguards fishing into the passenger cab for her daughter's stuffed animals and toys.) There was his family expressing their regrets, in front of a sunny suburban house and lawn that looked shockingly ordinary. At Sundance, premieres were canceled, in Hollywood, studio statements were released. By the weekend, New York Police were speculating that the medications had accidentally bonded into a kind of cocktail that stopped Ledger's heart. Gossip columnists darkly hinted of hard partying, of stories to come that would "make our collective hair stand on end," and a People magazine obituary issue was like a tone poem on the single word "excess." ("He was trying to lead a healthy life," a friend told the magazine. "But sometimes he went to excess.") Outside the Screen Actors Guild Awards, fringe evangelicals picketed, because Ledger had once portrayed a homosexual cowboy. The last most people saw of him was in a zippered black bag, wheeling into an ambulance, with its sad little bumps for his feet and head.

Ledger grew up in Perth, Western Australia — "the most isolated city," he told me, "in the world." His father designed and drove race cars, mother taught French, and Ledger offered something of their mix, the rugged and the cultural. He wanted to act, could not cast himself in the role of student — "I had a problem with authority" — and at sixteen he drove to Sydney with less than an Australian dollar in his pocket. It was already a life of bold strokes, simple and large movements and changes of scenery; a life from a movie.

When it happens, it happens fast. Ledger's Hollywood career began a year before George Bush's election, and did not outlast his presidency. In 1999, Ledger took the lead boyfriend role in the high school comedy 10 Things I Hate About You, where his appearance was gently disorienting, as if Sean Connery had been aged down and cast in a John Hughes picture. For a year, he refused other high school roles; one of his talents was for pausing at the right moment, sitting still, and waiting for situations to develop in his favor. He played Mel Gibson's son in The Patriot. Then he was cast to carry the medieval drama A Knight’s Tale. He was twenty-one. His body still had a kid's loose, unstringed movements, but it was clear he would become a star. There was the big frontal block of the smile, lines racing up from his chin to his ears; when he smiled, his face fanned brutal and turned warn; it was a great, manly smile, a smile that commanded.

The second part of Ledger's career was a reaction to that picture: he'd glimpsed the highway being paved ahead of him, the career he was being given; he stood up in the middle of a studio marketing meeting, locked himself in a bathroom. "It was a full-on anxiety attack," he said. "I was hitting my head, hitting the walls." From there, he steered his own course, towards darker movies, chillier commercial prospects. He meant to scrape away the star's glossy coating, replace it with the raw, flexible skin of an actor. "I wanted to take the blond out of my career," he said, "kill the direction it was going. I was like, 'How am I going to make this a career I would like to have?' "

Four years later, from the uplands of award nominations and Brokeback Mountain, having acted with directors Lasse Hallstrü m, Terry Gilliam, Ang Lee, he looked back at the moment with satisfaction. He'd stepped in, and piloted own life. "I just felt like I earned it, like I deserved it more, you know? And I sleep better that way."

"Well, that's very important," I said.

"Yeah, it is," he said. "Absolutely. You die young …"

Off-set, he clomped around in big boots and a hoodie, hands kangarooed in the pocket; interviewed, he kept on his sunglasses, to subtly maintain a private world, a kind of eye Kevlar. Celebrity was impractical, was what the clothes said. He hadn't accommodated himself to the deal, with its pluses and minuses: you sell the media slices of private life,in exchange for set time and the immense freedoms of the salary. Profiles began to circle around the same words: wary, restless. (A London Times writer, who interviewed him on six occasions, wrote simply that Ledger had "worried himself to death.") He couldn't seem to disengage; the inexactness bothered him. "For you or anyone sitting here to really know me," he explained to me, "you'd have to sit here for a year, it would take that much time for me to explain it."

He approached his own work with the same hardness; he did not, he said, class himself an artist, and never believed he'd been good. "I always want to pull myself apart and dissect it." Accepting a part, "I always go through the process of hating it, hating myself, thinking I've fooled them, I can’t actually do this." Leger had no formal training, and there's this to be said for acting school: it teaches you to approach a role as foreign, as a language you'll temporarily speak. Ledger didn't appear to have that. He needed to dig for (and inhabit) the part of himself that was the character. "Performance comes from absolutely believing what you're doing," he said. "You convince yourself, and believe in the story with all your heart." It didn't always shut off when a production did, and I think it ground him. Finishing Brokeback, he immediately flew to Venice, and Casanova. "I don't think I could have just gone home and not worked, to unwind from it," Ledger told me. "I would have just sat there and kind of slowly beat my head against the wall, until it went away."

On the Brokeback Mountain set, he'd began a relationship with Michelle Williams, his onscreen wife. They had a daughter — "we just fell very deeply into one another's arms, our bodies made those decisions for us"— bought a Brooklyn townhouse. A year later, Ledger told reporters he felt as content as he'd ever been. "When you're this happy," he said, "everything seems to fall into place."

The story his best movies tell is a unified story, in chapters, about connection and someone learning how to be. In the Australian drama Candy — playing a heroin addict, with all of a successful addicts sly, soft corruption — the story was about what happens when you transform other people into the means to a destination. Casanova was about how to shift from being a lover — which is abstract and general — and push ahead with the business of actually loving one person. Brokeback Mountain warned of the life where you refuse love, the costs everyone around you must pay. In I'm Not There, he played a man who had — like himself when the film was released — for reasons he could not explain but could not correct, lost his lover, family and home. As The Joker in next summer's The Dark Knight, he will appear as a man severed from all connection. A "psychopathic, mass-murdering clown with zero empathy," is how he described it to the New York Times. On set, Michael Caine said the performance sometimes turned so frightening he forgot his own lines.

When Ledger and Williams split last September, the explanation appeared to be drug use. Ledger took an apartment in SoHo and missed his daughter. Sleep became a problem. "I need to do something with this head because sometimes I just don't sleep, it just keeps ticking." He talked medications, telling the Times he was managing about two hours a night. On an evening when one Ambien didn’t do the job, he swallowed a second, passed out, came to an hour later, head still whirring. On his last film set, co-star Christopher Plummer reported that Ledger didn't seem to be sleeping at all. Among the saddest images of the past month is Ledger, forty-eight hours before his death, alone at a late-night bar, hoodie hiked up, drinking through the mouth-hole of a ski mask.

It’s been a time of tributes. Todd Haynes, his director on I'm Not There, paid Ledger the compliment he denied himself: "Heath was a true artist." He added, "This is an unimaginable tragedy." Ang Lee, who won the director's Academy Award for Brokeback, said "Working with Heath was one of the purest joys of my life … His death is heartbreaking." Dark Knight director Chris Nolan wrote about "charisma — as invisible and natural as gravity. That's what Heath had … I've never felt as old as I did watching Heath explore his talents." At press time, the New York Police Department has yet to settle on an official cause of death, but in a sense it's right there in front of us. Ledger made great demands on his heart — romantically, professionally, personally, physically. And in the end, his heart said "No."

From Issue No. 1046, February 21, 2008
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Aloysius J. Gleek on February 08, 2008, 06:55:58 pm

At press time, the New York Police Department has yet to settle on an official cause of death, but in a sense it's right there in front of us. Ledger made great demands on his heart — romantically, professionally, personally, physically. And in the end, his heart said "No."


 :'(
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: yb on February 08, 2008, 07:36:18 pm
More from Daniel Day-Lewis:

Day-Lewis slams media 'circus' around Ledger death
[09 Feb 2008]

BERLIN (AFP)

British-born film star Daniel Day-Lewis blasted the media "circus" Friday surrounding the death of Heath Ledger after his moving dedication of a top award to the Australian actor last month.

Day-Lewis, 50, who was at the Berlin Film Festival, where his new picture "There Will Be Blood" is in competition, said the round-the-clock coverage was only compounding the grief of Ledger's family.

Asked about the tribute he made at the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) awards in Los Angeles on January 27 when he picked up the best actor prize, Day-Lewis said he was wary of speaking out publicly about Ledger again.

"I'm reluctant to talk about it now. As much as I was glad to have a chance to say something in that moment, I now feel...there's plenty more I could say but I'm not just fuelling a fire that's already out of control," he said.

"His family, for instance, at this moment, are trying to suffer the unimaginable grief in the full scrutiny of a fucking circus and anything that I say is going probably to just contribute even more to that because it keeps the story running and running and running and running."

He said he hoped the focus would return to appreciation of Ledger's performances.

"There will come a time eventually when people just remember that he was a beautiful man who did some wonderful work and we have seen great things from him," he said.
A memorial to actor Heath Ledger is seen outside his apartment building

"And right now I can't say I'm too enthusiastic about adding more fodder to what's already just a horrendously, seamy, overblown machine that's gathered around his death. It's horrible."

The New York chief medical examiner's office released a toxicology report Wednesday showing that Ledger, 28, died of accidental intoxication caused by painkillers and anti-anxiety drugs.

In the SAG acceptance speech, Day-Lewis said the Australian's performances -- in particular his role in the 2005 gay cowboy drama "Brokeback Mountain"-- had deeply inspired him.


http://servihoo.com/Aujourdhui/kinews/afp_details.php?id=190816&CategoryID=74
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: TOoP/Bruce on February 09, 2008, 06:22:40 am
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d963b506-d5da-11dc-bbb2-0000779fd2ac.html

Heartbreak mountain
By Harry Eyres
Published: February 9 2008 00:20 | Last updated: February 9 2008 00:20



Sometimes a premature passing hits you hard. So it was for me, and I guess many thousands of others, with the sudden death of the actor Heath Ledger at 28. I did not know Ledger and my acquaintance with his work was limited to a single screen performance but his portrayal of Ennis Del Mar in Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain was so moving, so astonishingly mature, that it seemed the start of one of the truly great movie acting careers.

This wasn’t at all like watching James Dean, who never had a chance to grow up, in Rebel Without a Cause. This was marvelling at a 25-year-old charting the course of a many-chaptered life, from prudish inexperience through passion, marriage, fatherhood and a strange kind of accepting calm. I’m not sure there has ever been anything quite like it. The comparison that comes to my mind is not James Dean but Franz Schubert. Ang Lee himself, in a most affecting tribute, said that Ledger’s Ennis was “not just remarkable but a kind of miracle”. Working with Ledger had been one of the purest joys of his life – his death was “heartbreaking”, said Lee.

The word was chosen with precision, not the usual looseness with which we speak of breaking hearts.

Heartbreaking was not just Ledger’s death but the life and the work. The point of Ennis Del Mar is that he breaks hearts; not just the heart of Jack Twist (in any other film Jake Gyllenhaal’s performance would have captured every honour) but that of his wife Alma (the superb Michelle Williams) and his girlfriend Cassie.

Cold, callous and cynical are adjectives often applied to those who break hearts; Shakespeare describes such chilly fish best, in sonnet 74: “They that have power to hurt and will do none/ That do not do the thing they most do show/ Who, moving others, are themselves as stone/ Unmoved, cold and to temptation slow.” But Ennis Del Mar is not one of those cold heartbreakers. What makes him both irresistible and devastating is the depth of baffled tenderness in him; the love that he can only fitfully express in his relationship with Jack Twist but that shines through at the end of the film in his relationship with his daughter Alma Jr (yet another magnificent performance, in this film with no dud notes, from Kate Mara).

Ennis is one of those people who, for all sorts of reasons, are opaque to themselves. This is what Heath Ledger so marvellously conveys, in his slow-burning, laconic performance: a man struggling over the course of a whole life to come to terms, not so much with his sexuality (I do not see this only as a gay film but more universally as a film about blocked love) as with his tremendous need for love and, ultimately, with his ability to give love.

“He brought to the role of Ennis”, said Ang Lee, “more than any of us could have imagined – a thirst for life, for love, and for truth, and a vulnerability that made everyone who knew him love him.”

What is heartbreaking, then, about Ennis, is his ultimately futile resistance to all those things which Ledger knew and had to express beneath the surface of Ennis’s taciturnity. Ennis, unlike Jack, is afraid of heartbreak. In this he resembles another Shakespeare character, opaque to himself (“he ever but slenderly knew himself”) and fearful of emotional shattering (“this heart/ Shall break into a hundred thousands flaws/ Or ere I’ll weep”). But for all his resistance and fear, Lear too must suffer heartbreak, and breakdown, before he reaches the heartbreaking acknowledgement of his love for Cordelia, and for his “poor Fool”.

In tragedies such as King Lear, the acknowledgment of love comes too late. The full acknowledgement of the depth and power of Ennis’s love for Jack comes too late for Jack. But it does come, in the scene near the end of the movie in which Ennis goes to visit Jack’s parents to collect his ashes. It is a scene directed and acted with Ang Lee’s trademark combination of decorous restraint and overwhelming emotional power.

All is conveyed through the subtlest of gestures and changes of expression: the hand on the shoulder and the smile of kindness and comprehension on the face of Roberta Maxwell’s Mrs Twist; Ennis’s expression when he sees Jack’s blood-stained jacket.

Finally, you feel, Ennis’s heart is well and truly broken. And the broken-hearted Ennis will no longer be violent and uncomprehending in the face of love.

The message of King Lear, and of Brokeback Mountain, is that we must all have our hearts broken. In some strange way, these profound works do not merely convey but also enact that message; they perform a homeopathic heartbreak that leaves us miraculously breathing, more deeply and richly than before.

If only Heath Ledger had not had to break our hearts again, in a room in Manhattan, not a film-set or a stage.

[email protected]
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Ellemeno on February 09, 2008, 06:42:12 am
Thank you, Bruce.  Wonderful.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: yb on February 09, 2008, 09:57:01 am
Bruce, thanks so much for finding this article by Harry Eyres.  Heartbreaking, indeed.

Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: TOoP/Bruce on February 09, 2008, 10:06:57 am
Samrim in the UK posted it on the IMDb BbM board (thanks, mate!). 

It's from the Financial Times. 

I thought it was one of the best tributes to Heath I've seen written yet.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: yb on February 09, 2008, 10:17:02 am
This, and the one written by Christopher Nolan, are among the best tributes.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Meryl on February 09, 2008, 01:53:26 pm
I thought it was one of the best tributes to Heath I've seen written yet.

Amen to that.  Very insightful and moving.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: southendmd on February 09, 2008, 11:05:46 pm
[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Mf7zJbqi4Q[/youtube]

From YouTube:

About This Video

"Heath Ledger called me up and said, 'Ben, I'm having a baby and you need to write a lullaby for my baby girl'.
I obliged and out came Happily Ever After in Your Eyes.''

http://attitude.themercury.news.com.au/cheese_harper.htm

Thanks, Fran.  Especially knowing it was part of Heath's memorial service.

I tried to make out the words:




Happy Ever After in Your Eyes
by Ben Harper

The morning sunrise spread her wings
While the moon hung in the sky
Held the sea in your hands
And happy ever after in your eyes
Happy ever after is in your eyes.

Couldn't leave you to go to heaven
I carry you in my smile
For the first time my true reflection I see
Happy ever after in your eyes
Happy ever after is in your eyes.

Every star in the night
Promises the dawn
I will be there if you fall
To ever so heavily rest upon

All that I can give you
Is forever yours to keep
Wake up every day with a dream
And happy ever after in your eyes
Happy ever after is in your eyes.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Fran on February 10, 2008, 04:10:43 pm
It truly is a beautiful song.  I like the lines:

I carry you in my smile

and

For the first time my true reflection I see

And of course the last verse:

All that I can give you
Is forever yours to keep
Wake up every day with a dream
And happy ever after in your eyes
Happy ever after is in your eyes.


No doubt about it, Heath loved his baby girl.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: yb on February 10, 2008, 11:01:41 pm
Daniel Day-Lewis talked about Heath again at back stage of BAFTA:

Absent friends

Day-Lewis - voted best actor for There Will Be Blood - remembered Heath Ledger in a backstage press conference.


He said: "Obviously, if I hadn't already had the occasion of the screen actors' guild awards to dedicate this award to Heath Ledger then Heath would certainly have been a man tonight I would liked to have recognised."


The full article is here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7238184.stm
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Meryl on February 11, 2008, 12:33:40 am
Thanks for that link, Betty.  I'd forgotten all about the BAFTAs being this week.  :P

Good old Daniel Day-Lewis!  He's my new hero.  :-*
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Aloysius J. Gleek on February 11, 2008, 01:01:04 am
Daniel Day-Lewis
Awards and nominations

Academy Awards
Best Actor

Won: My Left Foot (1989)
Nominated: In the Name of the Father (1993)
Nominated: Gangs of New York (2002)
Nominated: There Will Be Blood  (2007)  

BAFTA Awards
Best Actor in a Leading Role

Won: My Left Foot (1989)
Nominated: The Last of the Mohicans (1992)
Nominated: In the Name of the Father (1993)
Won: Gangs of New York (2002)
Won:There Will Be Blood (2007)

Golden Globe Awards
Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama

Nominated: My Left Foot (1989)
Nominated: In the Name of the Father (1993)
Nominated: The Boxer (1997)
Nominated: Gangs of New York (2002)
Won: There Will Be Blood (2007)

Screen Actors' Guild Awards
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

Won: Gangs of New York (2002)
Won: There Will Be Blood (2007)


I do believe I'll be watching the Oscars after all--and not only because the Writer's Strike seems to be over.
(AND not only because DD-L is brilliant in There Will Be Blood...he is. But because. You know why.)
Title: BAFTA in memoriam
Post by: Mikaela on February 11, 2008, 06:39:37 am
Yes, the BAFTAS were last night and they, like the SAGs before them and the Oscars to come, pay tribute to those who have passed away. Unlike the SAGs they've had time to do it properly, too... *sigh*

Here it is, and Heath is the last one out;




 :'(

Well done, I'm thinking. Tears in my eyes - again.  :'(

Also, one has to wonder about the choice of the speaking scene; it contains the most famous line from Brokeback, of course, but then comes "Why don't you - Why don't you just leave me be, hunh?" and well.... that seems to carry a message that isn't just Ennis's at this point.
Title: Re: BAFTA in memoriam
Post by: mvansand76 on February 11, 2008, 06:52:04 am



That was so utterly beautiful, damn, I'm crying again... Thanks for posting, Mikaela.  :'( :'( :'(
Title: Re: BAFTA in memoriam
Post by: opinionista on February 11, 2008, 06:56:18 am
Yes, the BAFTAS were last night and they, like the SAGs before them and the Oscars to come, pay tribute to those who have passed away. Unlike the SAGs they've had time to do it properly, too... *sigh*

Here it is, and Heath is the last one out;




 :'(

Well done, I'm thinking. Tears in my eyes - again.  :'(

Also, one has to wonder about the choice of the speaking scene; it contains the most famous line from Brokeback, of course, but then comes "Why don't you - Why don't you just leave me be, hunh?" and well.... that seems to carry a message that isn't just Ennis's at this point.

I actually liked it. Heath gets more screentime than the rest. I also liked the fact that they didn't honor just anglosaxon actors but also the ones from countries like Germany, Spain or Finland and those who work behind the camera that are always invisible and unheard of. I thought it was very good.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Mikaela on February 11, 2008, 07:11:36 am
I agree, certainly. Was delighted they included Ingmar Bergman - the iconic shot of the knight and Death playing chess, and the image they used of the man himself must have been from the glory days quite a while back because I hardly recognized him. So used to seeing the elderly Bergman in images. Which of course is a strong reminder that he as well as nearly all the others had gotten to live long and eventfully, leaving a full life's rich legacy of many years' creativity behind...

*sigh*
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: TOoP/Bruce on February 11, 2008, 07:32:56 am
http://www.theage.com.au/news/in-depth/he-cut-his-own-way-through/2008/01/26/1201157738740.html

'Like the hero of his early films, he cut his own way through'

January 27, 2008 [/b]

Director Neil Armfield worked with Heath Ledger on the acclaimed film Candy. Here, he recalls the quiet genius of an intuitive actor.

HEATH LEDGER did it the hard way. Most actors grow in their craft through group experiences at drama school where their voices are strengthened, their physical skills and improvisatory impulses are sharpened, their psychological grasp of character is exercised. Sometimes it isn't drama school, sometimes it's just putting on shows where quietly, inevitably, skills and instincts develop and there is a process of socialisation into the mysteries of performance and the shared experience of story.

Not for Heath. At 16 (just 12 years ago!) he was placed in front of the camera — one of the loneliest places in the world — and using instinct alone, he found his own map.

Like the hero of one of his early adventure films, he cut his own way through the forest.

By the time we met in 2003 to discuss the film of Luke Davies' novel, Candy, he knew where he was. He knew his own power. He had taken his career into his own hands by choosing the most quirky, difficult, interesting options.

Candy was going to shoot in 2004 but Brokeback Mountain came along and filming was put back a year. During that time, Heath remained passionate, charming, committed to our project. We started talking about doing Hamlet at Sydney's Belvoir St — a part that he was perhaps born to play. Weeks before production began, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer and Candy was delayed a further eight weeks to allow for my surgery and recovery.

Heath reacted immediately. He filled my house with roses.

Early rehearsals were tricky. We were coming from opposite places. I gathered all the actors in a circle to read the screenplay and tried to encourage discussion. Heath was barely audible in the read and while all the seasoned theatre actors devoured the process, talking and debating and analysing, he sat on the floor like a naughty boy in the classroom, the ADD kid in the corner, doodling monsters and mad machines on his script.

But once filming began, he blossomed. I had no idea how good he was. Heath's relationship with the camera was so instinctive, so private. But I was fearful that he wasn't "showing" enough. Wasn't letting us in to the soul of the character. "We need to see your eyes," I'd say. "You need to show more!"

He was frustrated. "I'm showing you!"

I asked: "Why don't you trust me?"

Heath's reply was: "Well, so I'll show more. Let's go and do it again. But I guarantee, you'll use the earlier take."

He was right. We did.

I knew that for this film to work, Heath would have to remain somehow likeable, and therefore interesting, throughout his character's sad history of desperate and appalling behaviour.

Heath touched this thread of optimism and skewed nobility, this core of love that holds the film together. It wasn't obvious on the set, but when we began to edit the film Heath's quiet, undemonstrative persistence was fully revealed. He knew what he was doing: there's only so much the director can do — a great actor takes responsibility for the revelation of their own performance.

There was, of course, his face: intelligent, kind, beautiful. Those eyes. That mouth. That smile. His physical agility: he was a great, natural clown.

And that rich, glorious voice. A voice the power of which he increasingly resisted. On both Candy and Brokeback Mountain, he was a nightmare for sound recordists and sound editors. "Can you give us a bit more level?" they'd plead. But Heath was adamant: "I shouldn't have to speak any louder than I would to be understood by the person I'm with."

This insight gave to Ennis Del Mar in Brokeback that sense of fearful, choked desire, and to Dan in Candy his air of humble, baffled innocence. In the cinema it makes you sit forward to catch the power of these quiet men.

And there was his glorious vulnerability: 12 years of punishing work didn't harden his spirit. He remained boyish, impulsive and volatile, which is where the animals of the paparazzi smelt his weakness and they goaded him into reaction.

Filmed on location around Sydney, Candy was marked by a series of painful humiliations for Heath that culminated in the most aggressive incident on the second last night of the shoot. We were desperately short of time shooting a street scene, which had been choreographed as a single shot. We were on our third (and best) take and from the crowd came the flash of a camera, a man called out "flash" and walked away fast up the street. The take was ruined.

In the confusion, nobody knew what had happened except Heath. He bolted up the street after the photographer, Guy Finlay, shouting. Finlay screamed, "I'll see you at home, Ledger".

Half an hour later, the paparazzo came back in his car and parked near the set, flashing his lights and tooting his horn, trying to stop filming. Heath ignored him but he was seething, hurt. It was Finlay, with Peter Carette, who squirted Heath and his partner, Michelle Williams, with water guns at the Sydney premiere of Brokeback Mountain. Again, Heath was really hurt.

In the days since Heath's death, I have become so aware of a feeling of numbed silence, of a beautiful, generous heart stopped. He was a daring artist taking fantastic leaps of imagination and faith. So much, so many years of great work lay ahead, that it makes you weep for what is not to be.

Heath's father, Kim, said last week: "Few had the pleasure of truly knowing him." I'm not one of those few. But for a while, I caught a glimpse.
Title: Re: BAFTA in memoriam
Post by: j.U.d.E. on February 11, 2008, 07:46:25 am
I actually liked it. Heath gets more screentime than the rest. I also liked the fact that they didn't honor just anglosaxon actors but also the ones from countries like Germany, Spain or Finland and those who work behind the camera that are always invisible and unheard of. I thought it was very good.
Indeed they did. Also French actors were included. But they forgot Jean-Claude Brialy!!  :( He had no connections to Brokeback Mountain, but he was an openly gay actor and a very fine one!

I saw it on BBC yesterday. So many.. So sad..

~ "Why don't you - Why don't you just leave me be, hunh?" ~

j.U.d.E.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Aloysius J. Gleek on February 11, 2008, 11:03:31 am
Thank you, Mikaela, for the link to the BAFTA memorial. The music is beautiful. And the faces in the audience--so sad.

I was also shocked and saddened, while watching the YouTube clip (watch for it at about 1:53-1:55, below)--another Brokeback Mountain family member has died this year: Marit Allen. Last night she also won a BAFTA award posthumously for her work in La Vie en Rose (the title in the US, otherwise known as La Môme) and for those who might think it another reason to watch the Oscars again this year: Marit is nominated in 2008 for La Vie/La Môme.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marit_Allen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marit_Allen)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

"Marit Allen was a British fashion journalist and costume designer who specialized in costumes for films. She designed the costumes for several successful Hollywood films, including Mrs. Doubtfire, Eyes Wide Shut, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Brokeback Mountain and La Vie en Rose. Her career as a film costume designer last over 33 years.

"Allen also developed a working relationship with Taiwanese film director, Ang Lee. The two collaborated to create the costumes for a number of Ang's major films, including Hulk, Brokeback Mountain and Ride with the Devil.

"Allen's other noted films included La Vie En Rose (2007), Love in the Time of Cholera (2007), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988), Dead Man (1995), and Little Shop of Horrors (1986).  She worked on the costumes for a number of Nicolas Roag's movies including Don't Look Now, The Witches and Eureka.

"Allen was honored for her work with an Academy Award nomination, two Emmy nominations, as well as a Costume Designers Guild award and a BAFTA for her work on La Vie En Rose.

"Marit Allen was born in Cheshire, England on September 17, 1941 to a Norwegian mother and an English father. Marit Allen died of a brain aneurism in Sydney, Australia, on November 26, 2007. She was 66 years old. Allen was survived by three children, Lucy, Ben and Holly.

"Allen was working with director and producer George Miller on preproduction costume designs for the upcoming film Justice League of America at the time of her death in 2007. Justice League of America is scheduled for a 2010 release."



Brokeback Mountain (2005)

Costume Design by
Marit Allen

Date of Birth
17 September 1941, Cheshire, England, UK

Date of Death
26 November 2007, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
(brain aneurysm--that's awfully close to home for me... :()


Anyway, here's the clip again (at about 1:53-1:55)

BAFTA Remembers
[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTGcboZGg0Q[/youtube]
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: moremojo on February 11, 2008, 11:34:27 am
Reporting on a radio tribute to Heath that I listened to this past Saturday. The radio station KMFA (89.5 FM), at 10:00 a.m., devoted their hour-long special show "Film Score Focus" to excerpts from the soundtracks to various films Heath appeared in, "in memory of Heath Ledger". The film soundtracks featured were The Patriot, The Four Feathers, The Brothers Grimm, and Brokeback Mountain. My favorite sound clips were those from Brokeback Mountain (all compositions excerpted were by Gustavo); I cried at "Opening", not at all unexpectedly.
Title: Re: BAFTA in memoriam
Post by: ednbarby on February 11, 2008, 12:30:30 pm
Also, one has to wonder about the choice of the speaking scene; it contains the most famous line from Brokeback, of course, but then comes "Why don't you - Why don't you just leave me be, hunh?" and well.... that seems to carry a message that isn't just Ennis's at this point.

I was struck by how perfect the choice of scenes/lines was, too.

Why don't they all just leave him alone, hunh?
Title: Re: BAFTA in memoriam
Post by: Meryl on February 11, 2008, 12:35:10 pm
Yes, the BAFTAS were last night and they, like the SAGs before them and the Oscars to come, pay tribute to those who have passed away. Unlike the SAGs they've had time to do it properly, too... *sigh*

Here it is, and Heath is the last one out;




 :'(

Well done, I'm thinking. Tears in my eyes - again.  :'(

That made me cry, too.  It was a lovely sequence, and I actually forgot Heath would be in it til he came riding toward us, blonde hair flying, in that scene from "A Knight's Tale."  It just breaks my heart all over again.  :'(
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Kd5000 on February 11, 2008, 12:40:17 pm
I don't think I can watch that BAFTA clip again. Just too sad.  :'( Orlando Bloom and Kevin Spacey looked quite moved.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Meryl on February 11, 2008, 12:44:47 pm

http://www.theage.com.au/news/in-depth/he-cut-his-own-way-through/2008 /01/26/1201157738740.html

Thanks for that article by Neil Armfield, Bruce.  I haven't seen "Candy" yet, and I'm glad I still have it to look forward to.  8)
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Mikaela on February 11, 2008, 12:47:33 pm
I don't think I can watch that BAFTA clip again. Just too sad.  :'( Orlando Bloom and Kevin Spacey looked quite moved.

Yes - and theirs is such a small world.... Orlando played opposite Heath in Ned Kelly, and Kevin Spacey - uhm, I've at least seen a picture of him and Heath together, so they had at least met...


The last couple of years Jake has been so visible in all these award shows, last year he presented the award for Female Lead at the BAFTAs, I think - and of course the year before that he actually won his BAFTA for Jack Twist. It's a marked difference to me that he's not to be seen anywhere.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Aloysius J. Gleek on February 11, 2008, 12:48:59 pm

Heath reacted immediately. He filled my house with roses.


I love that.

 :)
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Ellemeno on February 11, 2008, 03:33:01 pm
I love that.

 :)


Me too.  Makes me very glad that you and Meryl put flowers at his memorial and we are planning on honoring his birthday with flowers.

I couldn't help but count - they used five different images for Heath, that's a lot.  And that Neil Armfield article is luminous, Bruce, thank you.  I'm going to go see if I can find the radio show you spake of, Scott. 

And seeing Marit Allen made me jump, even though I had read here that she died this year.

I agree, I love that the BAFTAs aren't UScentric, and show people from more places.

It's so nice to be going through this with all of you.  Poor those who don't have us to be with through this.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Shakesthecoffecan on February 11, 2008, 03:46:14 pm
Just thought I would pass this along,  Fremantle Cemetery is also the resting place of former AD/DC lead singer Bon Scott, who died in 1980. 
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Ellemeno on February 11, 2008, 03:49:56 pm
Goodness!
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Mikaela on February 11, 2008, 03:51:08 pm
My thought exactly.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Kelda on February 11, 2008, 05:53:14 pm
Goodness!

My thought exactly.

 :laugh: - mine too!

Loved the BAFTAs vid. (*insert happy crying icon here*)
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: TOoP/Bruce on February 11, 2008, 06:17:01 pm
"Goodness" isn't exactly the word that came to my mind first....
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: ifyoucantfixit on February 11, 2008, 06:48:00 pm



    Surely goodness !!!   and Mercy !!! followed him all the days of his life. :laugh:
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Kd5000 on February 11, 2008, 07:27:55 pm
I used GOOGLE EARTH to locate Fremantle Cemetery in Perth, Australia.  It's a very small cemetary near the coast.  Just a patch of green space with a large building.  I mean I wasn't expecting something the size of Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, where Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison are buried, but this is so tiny.   GOOGLE EARTH also reports that police call for witnesses for an attack on a 66 year old woman in Fremantle Cemetery. Guess it's not that safe. ???
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: louisev on February 11, 2008, 07:37:35 pm
Heath was not buried at Fremantle Cemetery, he was buried at Karrakatta Cemetery.  Fremantle is where the crematorium is.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Shakesthecoffecan on February 11, 2008, 08:01:21 pm
Heath was not buried at Fremantle Cemetery, he was buried at Karrakatta Cemetery.  Fremantle is where the crematorium is.

I know findagrave.com was reporting Karrakatta, and then after the funeral they changed it to Fremantle.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: roryennis on February 12, 2008, 12:18:27 am
I don't know if this has been posted anywhere on this Forum, but while at work I was perusing Getty Images I came across two photos of Heaths Memorial service Programmes. Here are the links:
http://cache3.gettyimages.com/xc/79676110.jpg?v=1&c=NewsMaker&k=2&d=17A4AD9FDB9CF1935121260197D6DE78AD48055E76218476A55A1E4F32AD3138

http://cache3.gettyimages.com/xc/79676111.jpg?v=1&c=NewsMaker&k=2&d=17A4AD9FDB9CF1935121260197D6DE78C2A646A7934AC90BA55A1E4F32AD3138
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: louisev on February 12, 2008, 12:56:09 am
 
'Going out with his boots on.'  An odd but strangely uplifting tribute to Heath's filmography and the best role we have not yet seen.

http://www.thecud.com.au/html/story_langlois_100208.htm
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Aloysius J. Gleek on February 12, 2008, 01:20:17 am

And seeing Marit Allen made me jump, even though I had read here that she died this year.

I agree, I love that the BAFTAs aren't UScentric, and show people from more places.


Thank you, Elle, for YOUR mention. Thank you.  :-*

I had not known Ms. Allen had died so tragically this November 2007 ("--in November--"), and in Sydney, Australia. With an aneurysm. (....)

When I saw the BAFTA clip today, it--well, yes, it made me jump, too. A little bit the way Brokeback's first film editor, Geraldine Peroni (remember her?) died in August 2004.

I feel--beholdin'--to people who worked so hard and so well on our movie. So.

To say 'Thank You,' Marit Allen, Brokeback's superb Costume Designer, from the bottom of my heart, for your uncanny choices in picking (with Ang, I'm sure)

Jack's blue and Ennis's tan:
(http://www.virginmedia.com/microsites/movies/slideshow/top-ten-film-kisses/img_5.jpg) :'(
(gosh--remember Cornelius's amazing essays??)

and for Lureen's red cowboy hat:
(http://www.cinecon.com/bigstory/annehathawayint_435.jpg)  ;)

Thank you, Marit. We owe you--you'll never know.

xxxx
John

(I hope Marit wins the posthumous Oscar for La Vie en Rose. She deserves more than that.)
Title: Re: BAFTA in memoriam
Post by: Penthesilea on February 12, 2008, 10:41:51 am
That made me cry, too.  It was a lovely sequence, and I actually forgot Heath would be in it til he came riding toward us, blonde hair flying, in that scene from "A Knight's Tale."  It just breaks my heart all over again.  :'(

It was the same for me. I was focused on the people and names they showed, and suddenly there came Heath, the riding scene from A Knight's Tale. Tears were spilling faster than I could choke them down.  :'( It's so wrong to see Heath in the memorial section.
Title: Re: BAFTA in memoriam
Post by: j.U.d.E. on February 12, 2008, 11:00:31 am
It was the same for me. I was focused on the people and names they showed, and suddenly there came Heath, the riding scene from A Knight's Tale. Tears were spilling faster than I could choke them down.  :'( It's so wrong to see Heath in the memorial section.

I totally agree Chrissi! It's so wrong! I can't get over it. You see on many pages where they have added the day/year of his death (even Phil had it here on BM in big letters at first - I almost wrote to him asking him to remove it..). He can be found on 'findagrave' (or whatever it's called) now (apparently .. I didn't check). 'Tis not alright!  :'(

I think it did sink in now, but it's only been 3 weeks and he's still 'there' somehow. But in a few months tuime, years it will be very real, because he'll never grow older, there will never be any new pictures of him. ..

j. U. d. E.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: myprivatejack on February 12, 2008, 12:23:49 pm
(http://apu.mabul.org/up/apu/2007/12/23/img-53q9ppo6irw.jpg)

The bonfire doesn't already warm
all the deep wrinkles in my soul.
My path is a hollow full with stones
that leads me to a Brokeback
whose landscape seems so uncouth.
Its bright sky draws a storm...
...since he's gone.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Meryl on February 12, 2008, 01:29:32 pm
(http://apu.mabul.org/up/apu/2007/12/23/img-53q9ppo6irw.jpg)

The bonfire doesn't already warm
all the deep wrinkles in my soul.
My path is a hollow full with stones
that leads me to a Brokeback
whose landscape seems so uncouth.
Its bright sky draws a storm...
...since he's gone.

That's so beautiful, myprivatejack.  Would you consider posting this in the new Brokeback Cult thread?  There are a few other lovely Heath tributes there.

http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,3655.0.html
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: myprivatejack on February 12, 2008, 05:18:00 pm
That's so beautiful, myprivatejack.  Would you consider posting this in the new Brokeback Cult thread?  There are a few other lovely Heath tributes there.

http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,3655.0.html

Thank you so much,Meryl.I don't know if it's beautiful literally speaking.But at least,it's written with the heart.That's for sure. :'(
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: mvansand76 on February 17, 2008, 08:05:16 am
Don't know if this was posted already, but thought it was really special...

http://www.smh.com.au/news/heath-ledger/cowboy-will-carry-on-legacy/2008/01/23/1201024994404.html (http://www.smh.com.au/news/heath-ledger/cowboy-will-carry-on-legacy/2008/01/23/1201024994404.html)

The tragic news from New York was too hard to bear for Ledger's cowboy mate, writes Neil McMahon in Los Angeles.
IN MANY ways he was Heath Ledger's worst nightmare: a nobody, allowed into the inner circle, who then told the world his story and became a somebody. Ledger hated the spotlight, especially when it was uninvited, and Adam Sutton worried about that, lost too much sleep about what his mate would think. Then, when he asked for the actor's blessing, he got a graceful nod. Go ahead, said Ledger to the real gay cowboy. "I'm proud of you, Bushy."

Sutton, 33, was proud, too. Proud of how he'd told his tale, first in the Herald, then on TV, then in a book, and proud that an actor renowned for his aversion to publicity had looked at what he was trying to do and told him it was all OK. Yesterday, though, he was simply shattered. He was in Los Angeles when word came through. Ledger was dead. A burst of text messages. "So sorry to hear about Heath. Hope you're OK."

He was standing in Olivia Newton-John's Malibu garden, a quick visit for a publicity shot for a charity event he is doing in April. Next door lives Mel Gibson, Ledger's co-star in The Patriot; Sutton had met Gibson on Sunday at a Hollywood cricket game, given him a copy of his memoir, Say It Out Loud, the book the Central Coast horseman had used to describe a life reflected in the script of Ledger's most acclaimed film, Brokeback Mountain.

Heath would be at home here, Sutton thought, stars to the left and right, but it was foreign to him. Truth be told, it probably wouldn't have been much more of a comfortable setting for Ledger, the star who resisted the sparkle at all costs. "He didn't want to be a blockbuster person. He was an actor, not a celebrity," Sutton said last night.

Sutton and Ledger had met on Ned Kelly; where the wrangler from Cooranbong gave the burgeoning star riding lessons. There was a mild tempest that first day, when film-set novice Sutton ordered his celebrity charges to don helmets. They refused, and an actors' walk-off was barely averted. The pair nevertheless became mates. A year later, Ledger was handed a script and brought it back to Sydney on his summer break. As they got ready to go out on New Year's Eve, he said casually to his mate: "I've just read this script and it sounds a lot like you."

It was Brokeback Mountain. Ledger used the film to tell the world just how well he could act; Sutton used the film's profile as a platform to tell his own story.

Hollywood was a new thing. He'd been here only three days, a last-minute visit as part of G'day USA Week to help Newton-John promote her cancer centre appeal. Ledger was his Hollywood connection, but that was about them being mates, not celebrities. Yet here yesterday was the cowboy, a fish out of water, at home with the one household name in the zip code who would surely understand. Newton-John knows something about handling grief, publicly and privately. No one else knew what to say, but she didn't hesitate, stepping forward to hug Sutton, who had held it in until then. "I'm so, so sorry," she told him, a spontaneous embrace defeating country stoicism.

Newton-John's home is built for peace and calm, in parts quite purposefully for lifting the spirits of a woman who has endured everything from breast cancer to the unexplained loss three years ago of her partner, Patrick McDermott. The rear is dominated by a labyrinth, a meditation maze for wandering and reflection. She suggested Sutton take a walk there and find the centre. There he found stones, under each one a word. Friendship. Harmony. Love. Understanding. Acceptance.

It helped. "It was as close as I could imagine to being with my mother," said Sutton later, who had only met Newton-John once before. Now he was speaking as a bewildered and tearful young man cast in the difficult role of a public figure whose flare was sparked by the flint of another man's fame, that man now deceased.

The world was on the phone. Entertainment Tonight; Access Hollywood, morning television in Australia, radio stations everywhere, journalists wanting to know about this: the real Heath.

Sutton wasn't sure he or anyone beyond family was qualified to speak on that, and knew he wasn't ready on the scale now demanded. A flood of tears came first; a stiff drink was proffered and accepted. As Sutton went wandering, Newton-John reflected on her own experience. "He doesn't have to say anything if he doesn't want to," she said firmly, aware of the relentless pressure to simply react. "It's nobody's business."

She also knows something of young talent burning too brightly, too young. There was Karen Carpenter, a friend whose death tore her. Then Andy Gibb, another young Australian who conquered Hollywood and was gone at 30. Gibb had found himself with few places to turn, taking his troubles to Newton-John, his friend and sometime duet partner. "He used to call me in the middle of the night," Newton-John said of the youngest Gibb brother, destroyed by drugs in 1988.

He found himself in the wisest hands, and is grateful, yet Sutton doesn't know what to think. The story from New York remains murky, and having refused to tread on Ledger's private life in his book, it is territory he will not venture into now. "All I can say about him is that he was an inspiration to me. He gave me the strength to find myself and tell my story, and that's something that I know helped a lot of other people. All I want to do now is carry it on as his legacy."

Herald journalist Neil McMahon is the co-author of Adam Sutton's memoir Say It Out Loud: Journey Of A Real Cowboy.





That pic in the article is supposed to be Heath on the right, but I doubt that! I could be wrong, though...


Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: MaineWriter on February 17, 2008, 08:48:07 am
Thanks for posting that, Mel. I hadn't seen it before.

L
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: mvansand76 on February 18, 2008, 01:27:24 pm
Thanks for posting that, Mel. I hadn't seen it before.

L

Me neither! Has anybody here read his book?
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: MaineWriter on February 19, 2008, 08:49:47 am
I haven't read the book, but I remembered how much I enjoyed this article when it first came out.

Meet Heath's mate, the real gay cowboy


(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/lnicoll/Maine/adamsutton_wideweb__470x3040.jpg)

March 4, 2006

The struggles of the characters in Brokeback Mountain were familiar ground to cowboy Adam Sutton. Neil McMahon writes.

IT WAS the script that changed Heath Ledger's life - and when he read Brokeback Mountain he knew he had a friend reflected in its pages.

I've just read this script, Ledger later told his mate, Adam Sutton, and it sounds a lot like you. It was a film about a gay cowboy, and the actor was right; Sutton knew more than a bit about that.

That was New Year's Eve 2003 in Sydney, and Sutton was celebrating with Ledger, his then girlfriend Naomi Watts and their families. He had met them a year earlier while working as a wrangler on the set of Ned Kelly, and though they didn't know it then, the actors were seeing in a year which would transform them - Watts with an Oscar nomination, while Ledger took on a film many would have baulked at. His roll of the dice paid off; a Best Actor Oscar on Monday could confirm the wisdom of the gamble.

But there is more to Brokeback Mountain than Ledger's elevation. A simple love story at its core, it has also become a lightning rod and a landmark.

Today's Mardi Gras parade will pay humorous homage and Monday's Oscars will no doubt produce one-liners - but it also has a point.

As Hollywood's first grand gay love story, it is a tale that gives expression to the lives of men like Sutton, who find catharsis, redemption and reflection in its shadow.

"The movie put me at ease in a way," says Sutton, a knockabout horseman from the Hunter Valley who was on set for part of the filming. "And I hope it puts a lot of people at ease, and takes the burden off a lot of country people's shoulders - to know that they are not alone with that thought. It does happen. As tough as it is, it does happen."

He's talking about being a gay man, being in the bush and being alone - and not knowing what to do with any of it, an anguish Ledger captures in his painfully constricted performance.

Sutton cried watching it, as well he might. There was pain and anger on screen, aggression, and love embraced, then denied and nearly destroyed. He understands them all.

In his world - the world of cowboys and rodeos, of stereotypes scarred in the earth and not to be trampled on - you couldn't be gay, and if you were, there was punishment. It could take the form of violence, of the kind that claims a character in the film, or it could be crippling self-hatred and denial.

There were many bad days, but Sutton's worst came in 1994. Ten months earlier he had been out drinking near the family

property. While driving home, he took a corner and lost control, collecting an oncoming car.

The young man in it died. A culpable driving charge followed, to which he pleaded guilty, and the day before he was sentenced he saw only one end to the agony.

He was just 19. He had known since primary school that he was different. "I didn't know what gay was."

Whatever his curse, he believed it could find neither expression nor acceptance. That alone tortured him beyond apparent resolution, and now a man was dead. Jail the next day was a certainty. He thought there was nowhere to go.

"It was all my fault."

He took himself up to a rocky outcrop near home; the plan was to jump. He weighed it, weeping all the while. But something stopped him and he pulled back. He walked home, slept, and woke to a six-month jail term.

In prison, a place he calls "the university of criminology", he found a whole other person within. It stopped him taking the master's degree in crime, and at the time his sexuality was the least concern.

"I just pushed it way, way, way down. It was gone."

On release, he went back to his parents' property, then embarked on a journey that was part denial, part discovery.

He travelled the country: first, to north Queensland, where he got a job on the prawn trawlers working the Torres Strait, then west, where he took to sea again on pearling boats, as well as working the mines and taking a job flying into Aboriginal missions, working on the power supply.

He would put everything but his heart at risk. He would dive into shark-infested waters to untangle a net in the middle of the night - but there's that kind of fear, and then there is real terror. He believed it was easier to hate himself than to be himself, and shut down that part of him for years. By nature he was a masculine, dare-devil journeyman, so he did what he had always done, surviving by the sheer force of his boisterous character. He was "the crazy bastard" - the maddest, bravest bloke in the room.

After a few years he returned to NSW, and recognised the one natural affinity he could build a life on: horses.

He started riding in rodeos - fearless again and with success, but continued personal denial. The rodeo world was horses, then girls. "You're meant to pull [women]. That's what you had to do." He did it, but it was hard work. "I was scared of letting anybody know me better. I hated myself. I never let anybody inside my little circle, to know me. That was my front. It was a fort."

The fort would eventually fall. First, he settled down, starting his own horse business - he would train them, retrain them, break them in, on one occasion even accepting a government mission to go bush to capture brumbies, then tame them.

This was a life - almost. He loved it and he thrived. Through word of mouth, in 2002 he got the gig as a wrangler on Ned Kelly, which took him to Victoria and a crowd he had never run with before. This was another world. When he injured himself at a crew party, his first hospital visitor was Orlando Bloom; along with Ledger and others, Sutton had given the actor riding lessons.

They were arty, worldly, Hollywood. He was far from it. Early on, he asked a woman from the set: "So what do you do?" She replied: "I'm the leading lady." It was Naomi Watts. Like Ledger, she'd soon come to know the larrikin wrangler as Bushy.

It was a turning point, and another came the next year when a close friend came out; Sutton took a step in the same direction, going to a gay bar on the Central Coast.

The previous, and only, time he'd been in one - by accident years earlier, with some cowboy mates in Sydney - he had been at his worst. He remembers a man hitting on him. "I broke the bloke's fingers. I was aggressive. I was homophobic. When you're crying out to be like that, you find yourself [becoming homophobic] to cover yourself to your mates."

This time he was braver. He went to the bar and met a gay couple who became friends and mentors. His fort was crumbling.

"I just want to love someone and be loved back," he'd tell his new mates. "I've never done it."

Three years on, he has. He can marvel that he has come so far, and look at the cultural impact of Brokeback Mountain and marvel that the world has come this far, too. He's telling his story - coming out on a grand scale - because the time is right: the movie, the Oscars, the Ledger connection. People will notice now, and gay kids in the country might hear him. His family embraces him still; he has his old friends and many new ones.

"It takes courage and it takes strength and it takes that inner person to take hold and not worry what Tom or Harry down the road thinks. But it's hard, you're standing on your own island, singing your own song."

And while he would not wish his earlier agonies on anyone, nor would he swap his past.

"I wouldn't have done the things I've done if I had come out earlier in life. It would have changed the paths I took and it wouldn't have been the same. That's what makes it your life."

http://www.smh.com.au/news/arts/meet-heaths-mate-the-real-gay-cowboy/2006/03/03/1141191845952.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: louisev on February 21, 2008, 07:06:44 pm
A wonderful article with long in-depth quotes from Ledger's friend and the last person to speak to him, Shekhar Kapur:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2008/02/23/bfkapur123.xml

Since Ledger's death, many grief-stricken fans have written to Kapur. "They've seen maybe one or two of his films, but they say they have been crying ever since he died. It's something like what happened with James Dean. After Heath's death, everybody realised that a really important soul had gone."
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: j.U.d.E. on February 21, 2008, 08:31:45 pm
That's a wonderful article from Kapur! Yes, an important soul has gone. Reading the article makes me realize - again - how horribly wrong Heath's death is
and how much Heath was happy about acting and about life (even with setbacks - separating from Michelle..). Damn it!  >:(

22nd of February 2008 - it's been a month today........   :'(

.. goodbye Heath ..  

(http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w131/locham/HL.jpg)

j. U. d. E.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: TOoP/Bruce on February 23, 2008, 08:49:24 pm
http://www.observer.com/2008/british-heath-ledger-biography-will-be-available-u-s-june

Quote
British Heath Ledger Biography Will Be Available in U.S. in June
BY LEON NEYFAKH  |  FEBRUARY 1, 2008


A biography of Heath Ledger which will be published as a paperback in England in April, will be available in the U.S. in June, according to a spokesperson for Trafalgar Square Publishing, the company that will import and distribute the book here.
The book, titled Heath Ledger: His Beautiful Life and Mysterious Death, is being written by journalist John McShane and published by John Blake Publishing. No word yet on how many copies of the book Trafalgar will be bringing over; we'll let you know when we find out.

Apparently the book's release stateside will be timed to coincide with the release of "The Dark Knight."


Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: nakymaton on February 24, 2008, 12:27:38 am
Apparently Cate Blanchett dedicated her Independent Spirit Award (Best Supporting Actress for I'm Not There to Heath: "a beautiful independent spirit."

 :'( :'( :'( <-- me again, after avoiding this forum for a while.

http://carpetbagger.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/23/shes-right-there/
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Meryl on February 24, 2008, 12:32:25 am
Apparently Cate Blanchett dedicated her Independent Spirit Award (Best Supporting Actress for I'm Not There to Heath: "a beautiful independent spirit."

 :'( :'( :'( <-- me again, after avoid this forum for a while.

http://carpetbagger.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/23/shes-right-there/

That's great to hear.  Thanks for posting, Mel.  If it becomes a trend for folks to dedicate their awards, or whatever, to Heath, it's fine with me.  8)
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: nakymaton on February 24, 2008, 12:47:17 am
Todd Haynes also remembered Heath at the Independent Spirit Awards:

Quote
“I’m Not There,” the Bob Dylan biopic featuring portrayals of the singer/songwriter by actors of different ages, races and sexes, also did well, taking home the honor for Best Supporting Female (Cate Blanchett), as well as the Robert Altman Award created to honor the spirit of the directing great. As Todd Haynes accepted the Robert Altman Award on behalf of himself, casting director Laura Rosenthal and the entire cast of the film, he took the time to remember late actor Heath Ledger, one of the film’s stars.

“Honoring this amazing ensemble today is so bittersweet, given how shattered all of us are by Heath’s inconceivable absence,” said director Haynes. “I have no doubt he would have made an astounding director, and when I’m not looking bitterly or perhaps selfishly at the future of cinema without him, I treasure the time we shared on this film and the love and talent that he gave so freely.”

http://www.hollywoodtoday.net/?p=3935
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: louisev on February 24, 2008, 02:29:05 am
what a heartfelt tribute Haynes made.  That was great to read.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: yb on February 24, 2008, 04:09:53 am
Reading all these tributes by the directors who had worked with Heath and talked about how he would make an astounding director (Chris Nolan, Terry Gilliam and Todd Haynes) is very heartbreaking.  I don't know when I'll be able to get over this immense feeling of loss. 
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: mvansand76 on March 02, 2008, 08:18:34 am
Wow, this is the most moving tribute I have seen. It's of the Australian Short Film Festival (Tropfest) Tribute....

http://video.msn.com/video.aspx/?mkt=en-au&brand=ninemsn&fg=rss&vid=2a738e92-72d7-4ac0-8cee-71471bea08fa&from=imbot_en-au_general&wa=wsignin1.0 (http://video.msn.com/video.aspx/?mkt=en-au&brand=ninemsn&fg=rss&vid=2a738e92-72d7-4ac0-8cee-71471bea08fa&from=imbot_en-au_general&wa=wsignin1.0)



Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: souxi on March 02, 2008, 08:44:11 am
Wow, this is the most moving tribute I have seen. It's of the Australian Short Film Festival (Tropfest) Tribute....

http://video.msn.com/video.aspx/?mkt=en-au&brand=ninemsn&fg=rss&vid=2a738e92-72d7-4ac0-8cee-71471bea08fa&from=imbot_en-au_general&wa=wsignin1.0 (http://video.msn.com/video.aspx/?mkt=en-au&brand=ninemsn&fg=rss&vid=2a738e92-72d7-4ac0-8cee-71471bea08fa&from=imbot_en-au_general&wa=wsignin1.0)





Oh Mel that was just lovely.  :'( :'( :'( :'(
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Meryl on March 02, 2008, 12:48:28 pm
I'm so glad you found that, Melissa.  It really is a nice selection of Heath moments, and of course the song and the last scene are particularly dear to us Brokies.  :'(
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: mvansand76 on March 02, 2008, 03:45:56 pm
I'm so glad you found that, Melissa.  It really is a nice selection of Heath moments, and of course the song and the last scene are particularly dear to us Brokies.  :'(

Yeah, and I just came back from seeing the movie on the big screen for the first time in 2 years and that scene was just so heartbreaking in the way that he says "I gotta go" and then rides off, it's just too much to take right now.

 :'( :'( :'( :'(
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Meryl on March 02, 2008, 08:42:52 pm
Yeah, and I just came back from seeing the movie on the big screen for the first time in 2 years and that scene was just so heartbreaking in the way that he says "I gotta go" and then rides off, it's just too much to take right now.

 :'( :'( :'( :'(

Oy.  I know, I know.  :'(
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: optom3 on March 02, 2008, 08:50:37 pm
Wow, this is the most moving tribute I have seen. It's of the Australian Short Film Festival (Tropfest) Tribute....

http://video.msn.com/video.aspx/?mkt=en-au&brand=ninemsn&fg=rss&vid=2a738e92-72d7-4ac0-8cee-71471bea08fa&from=imbot_en-au_general&wa=wsignin1.0 (http://video.msn.com/video.aspx/?mkt=en-au&brand=ninemsn&fg=rss&vid=2a738e92-72d7-4ac0-8cee-71471bea08fa&from=imbot_en-au_general&wa=wsignin1.0)





Thankyou thankyou thankyou, just go and get another box of tissues now.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: j.U.d.E. on March 02, 2008, 09:35:00 pm
Wow, this is the most moving tribute I have seen. It's of the Australian Short Film Festival (Tropfest) Tribute....

http://video.msn.com/video.aspx/?mkt=en-au&brand=ninemsn&fg=rss&vid=2a738e92-72d7-4ac0-8cee-71471bea08fa&from=imbot_en-au_general&wa=wsignin1.0 (http://video.msn.com/video.aspx/?mkt=en-au&brand=ninemsn&fg=rss&vid=2a738e92-72d7-4ac0-8cee-71471bea08fa&from=imbot_en-au_general&wa=wsignin1.0)
I can't watch the video just yet. I played it and only listened to the song from Willie Nelson. I'll safekeep it though.

I love John Polson! Great thing he did remembering Heath!

j. U. d. E.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Ellemeno on March 04, 2008, 11:39:38 am
Wow, this is the most moving tribute I have seen. It's of the Australian Short Film Festival (Tropfest) Tribute....

http://video.msn.com/video.aspx/?mkt=en-au&brand=ninemsn&fg=rss&vid=2a738e92-72d7-4ac0-8cee-71471bea08fa&from=imbot_en-au_general&wa=wsignin1.0 (http://video.msn.com/video.aspx/?mkt=en-au&brand=ninemsn&fg=rss&vid=2a738e92-72d7-4ac0-8cee-71471bea08fa&from=imbot_en-au_general&wa=wsignin1.0)


For some reason I can't get the link above to work.  I looked on YouTube, is this the same one?

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QF5yKm8BBm4[/youtube]
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: yb on March 04, 2008, 12:16:56 pm

For some reason I can't get the link above to work.  I looked on YouTube, is this the same one?

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QF5yKm8BBm4[/youtube]


Yes, that's the one but it has cut out the introduction by the festival organizer prior to the tribute.  It's strange that the 'msn' link doesn't work for you, it works for me.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Fran on March 04, 2008, 12:19:13 pm
Thanks, Clarissa.  I couldn't get the first one to open either.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Fran on March 07, 2008, 01:29:42 am
On the Walkabout

Remembering Heath Ledger (1979-2008)

"Wasn't he just there, standing right in front of us?"

By Justin Vicari

Actors are known to be complicated beings. Because the successful ones loom so large in our vision, their deaths are complicated too, even when they grow old and die of natural causes. Their recorded legacy always remains so vivid, so attached to life and youthfulness, that death seems to be one more Hollywood illusion. Weren't they just there, standing right in front of us, taking our breath away? But nothing feels stranger than when an actor's life is cut short irrevocably in his prime, as was proven again by the shocking, still unassimilable death of Heath Ledger, on January 22, 2008.

A sense of inner contradiction is conjured up already within his name itself, composed of two strong yet poetic nouns — a rugged outdoor setting familiar to readers of Wuthering Heights, and the studious lined pages into which school lessons are copied out and accounts totaled up. So Heath Ledger seemed to possess both qualities of a man of action and of contemplation. Maybe it was his Australian nationality that made him seem convincing when he spoke of his life as "a walkabout" — a ritual harmonizing of body and spirit with nature and the universe. His sincerity made it seem like more than just new age speak, as it would have sounded from nearly anyone else.

Even from his earliest, most casual roles, we see him seeking some depth beneath the surface. His bid for seriousness did not take the form of apologizing for his handsomeness, or trying to conceal it; at least not exactly. But consider the way he appears in 10 Things I Hate About You — almost bemused that the school looks up to him as a sex symbol. Rather than condescend to the geeky outcasts who solicit his help with girls, he seems to seek out equal ground with them. In A Knight's Tale he plays shepherd to a scraggly, straggling flock of born losers, riding to their rescue again and again. Fellowship is an abiding theme of his films, and it does not seem accidental that Terry Gilliam cast him as the sensitive Grimm brother who cares more genuinely about the brotherhood and its precarious enterprise.

Perhaps these roles led more naturally than anyone could have supposed into the film for which he will probably be most remembered, for better or worse, but I think for better. As much as Brokeback Mountain functions as a kind of ensemble drama, it is Ledger who steals scene after scene with ferocious understatement. This makes his moments of uninhibited emotion all the more powerful. Who can forget his restless pacing by the window while he waits for Jack to arrive, and then his giddy bounding across the floor when he finally sees his pickup truck pulling up — one of the most honestly and unabashedly romantic moments in all of recent cinema. Or the way he lets his features distort with pain during the argument with Jack by the lake where they spend their precious time away from their heterosexual lives? And of course the last devastating close-up as he peers tearfully into his closet full of memories — a summation as succinctly elegiac and sublime as the closing shot of Victor Seastrom in Bergman's Wild Strawberries.

He was not known for leading a wild life or getting into trouble with the law, unlike other young actors. Perhaps he kept things as bottled up as some of his characters. The sleeping pills that were found around his bed, as well as the massage therapist whose regular appointment led to the discovery of his body, suggest that there may have been stresses in his life that no one was aware of. The entertainment industry has been known to squeeze blood out of stones; it is a truism that the system tends to breed real-life disasters more poignant and heartbreaking than the plots of the films it churns out. Is Ledger the latest in that long line of casualties who found themselves overworked, strung out on dizzying swings between adulation and excoriation, unable to wrest any semblance of a private life back from the glaring eye of public scrutiny? Fame is not a walkabout after all, but a one-way ticket, and the destination often changes midway through the journey. We are all deprived by the fact that Heath Ledger could not reach that destination.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: belbbmfan on March 07, 2008, 02:54:23 am
On the Walkabout

Remembering Heath Ledger (1979-2008)

As much as Brokeback Mountain functions as a kind of ensemble drama, it is Ledger who steals scene after scene with ferocious understatement. This makes his moments of uninhibited emotion all the more powerful. Who can forget his restless pacing by the window while he waits for Jack to arrive, and then his giddy bounding across the floor when he finally sees his pickup truck pulling up — one of the most honestly and unabashedly romantic moments in all of recent cinema. Or the way he lets his features distort with pain during the argument with Jack by the lake where they spend their precious time away from their heterosexual lives? And of course the last devastating close-up as he peers tearfully into his closet full of memories — a summation as succinctly elegiac and sublime as the closing shot of Victor Seastrom in Bergman's Wild Strawberries.


I agree with this comment 100%. One of the things that make the reunion scene so powerful and overwhelming is the build up to it. It was fantastic acting on Heath's part. Although I find that the word 'acting' doesn't do what he did justice.

Thanks for posting the article Fran.  :)
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: mvansand76 on March 07, 2008, 05:02:23 am
We are all deprived by the fact that Heath Ledger could not reach that destination.

So true...

 :'( :'( :'(
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: adrian on March 11, 2008, 04:02:30 am


Here's a beautiful rendition of "The Wings" by singer Shane August.

[youtube=425,350]http://youtube.com/watch?v=wzuA7cYmKtY#[/youtube]

The song is "Wings" from the Brokeback Mountain Soundtrack and was composed by Gustavo Santaolalla.

Lyrics by Shane August. Performed by Shane August

"You give me the wings to fly
You are the clear blue sky
I'm floating so free, so high
Falling with grace, for you, am I
You give me the wings to fly"


* * * *

A shining star has burned out.

Add your clips and images to our collaborative Heath Ledger Tribute Video.

Send an email to [email protected]

Heath Ledger will be missed by us all.


* * * *




Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: yb on March 12, 2008, 09:10:08 am
Ang Lee talked emotionally about Heath in an interview at ShoWest 2008, here's the link to view the video:

http://video.accesshollywood.com/player/?id=228082

Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: mvansand76 on March 12, 2008, 10:29:56 am
Ang Lee talked emotionally about Heath in an interview at ShoWest 2008, here's the link to view the video:

http://video.accesshollywood.com/player/?id=228082



"He was a great actor. I miss him a lot, I really miss him..."

Bless you, Ang. He really seems to be grieving still. I loved how he said that watching Batman will be difficult. I know it will be for us too.

Thanks for posting this, yb!

Mel
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Brown Eyes on March 12, 2008, 11:55:41 am
Ang Lee talked emotionally about Heath in an interview at ShoWest 2008, here's the link to view the video:

http://video.accesshollywood.com/player/?id=228082



Thanks so much for posting this.  Ang Lee is such a class act.  He's just so amazing.

Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Penthesilea on March 12, 2008, 12:57:11 pm
Ang Lee talked emotionally about Heath in an interview at ShoWest 2008, here's the link to view the video:

http://video.accesshollywood.com/player/?id=228082



Thanks so much for posting this Betty. I second everything what was already said about Ang Lee. He always gives the impression of being a very humble man and very calm.

Again and again Ang slips into present tense when talking about Heath:" he shows every sign of ...; ...that's how intense and devoted he is...; he is a great actor, I miss him a lot"
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: mariez on March 12, 2008, 01:40:43 pm
Ang Lee talked emotionally about Heath in an interview at ShoWest 2008, here's the link to view the video:

http://video.accesshollywood.com/player/?id=228082



Let me add my thanks for posting this.  What a lovely man - so honest, open and unassuming, and it's clear that he speaks from his heart.  I was so touched.

Marie
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Meryl on March 12, 2008, 10:31:09 pm
Ang Lee talked emotionally about Heath in an interview at ShoWest 2008, here's the link to view the video:

http://video.accesshollywood.com/player/?id=228082

That just reminds me all over again how much I love Ang.  Bless him!  :-*
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Brown Eyes on March 12, 2008, 10:39:47 pm


Again and again Ang slips into present tense when talking about Heath:" he shows every sign of ...; ...that's how intense and devoted he is...; he is a great actor, I miss him a lot"

Heya Chrissi,

This is really interesting to note.  :(  :'(  The present/past tense issue just really makes clear how much of a shock this tragedy regarding Heath still is.  It's clear that a lot of folks who care about Heath really haven't adjusted to the new reality yet.
:(

Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: optom3 on March 12, 2008, 11:17:14 pm
Let me add my thanks for posting this.  What a lovely man - so honest, open and unassuming, and it's clear that he speaks from his heart.  I was so touched.

Marie

A big thanks from me too.
It did make me cry yet again though.I was so touched the way Ang kept slipping into the present tense.It is almost like as with some of us, he cannot beleve/come to terms with the fact that he has gone.
Ang seems such a lovely man,quiet and considered, a real gentle man.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Penthesilea on March 13, 2008, 06:17:26 am
Heya Chrissi,

This is really interesting to note.  :(  :'(  The present/past tense issue just really makes clear how much of a shock this tragedy regarding Heath still is.  It's clear that a lot of folks who care about Heath really haven't adjusted to the new reality yet.
:(


Yes.   :( :'(
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: yb on March 13, 2008, 11:45:10 am
Michael Stipe has paid tribute to Heath Ledger during R.E.M’s set at this year’s SXSW in Austin Texas.

The front man dedicated the track ‘Until The Day Is Done’ to the actor as they gave the audience a taste of their new album ‘Accelerate’.

Before performing the song he said, "This is dedicated to Heath Ledger who loved this song," before ending it with, "Goodbye Heath, we loved you!"

http://www.gigwise.com/news/41494/michael-stipe-pays-tribute-to-heath-ledger
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Penthesilea on March 13, 2008, 12:30:13 pm
Michael Stipe has paid tribute to Heath Ledger during R.E.M’s set at this year’s SXSW in Austin Texas.

The front man dedicated the track ‘Until The Day Is Done’ to the actor as they gave the audience a taste of their new album ‘Accelerate’.

Before performing the song he said, "This is dedicated to Heath Ledger who loved this song," before ending it with, "Goodbye Heath, we loved you!"

http://www.gigwise.com/news/41494/michael-stipe-pays-tribute-to-heath-ledger



The link doesn't work, it says "server error"  ???
But thanks for posting anyway. I think of the pics with Heath and Michael Stipe last year, sitting next to each other at a fashion event. It was last fall and they were introducing the spring 2008 collection. Who would have thought Heath wouldn't be around anymore in spring 2008?  :(
I think I'm gonna check out the lyrics of the song now.


(http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m47/Penthesilea06/Heath/normal_marcjacobsfashion10sept07005.jpg)
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: mvansand76 on March 13, 2008, 06:11:17 pm
Saw this on lj.... Rally, really love this.... so how I see Heath....


Michelle Williams is breaking her silence about the untimely death of her beloved Heath Ledger.

The actress is speaking out in the new issue of Interview magazine. This is the first time she's talked publicly about Ledger since releasing a statement on February 1st.

Says Williams, "I think the interesting thing about Heath, which maybe people have only really fully discovered in his death, is how vulnerable he was. You can pick it up on it in his performances, but it’s easy to overlook because he was so physical and beautiful and strong and masculine,” she adds. “But there was always that underlying sensitivity. That’s who he was. He had a talent for everything that he put his mind to. He didn’t know limits."

Michelle also touches on Ledger’s history of sleeping issues.

“For as long as I’d known him, he had bouts with insomnia,” she says. “He had too much energy. His mind was turning, turning turning — always turning.”

Ledger's ex-girlfriend, fellow Australian Naomi Watts, also chats to the mag about the deceased star.

Says Watts, "I think he wanted to be someone who was doing the observing — not the one being observed. He hated not being able to go about his life in an ordinary way. But I think that, deep down, he enjoyed that he was being recognized for his talent. I think he was starting to own that and that's the deepest tragedy, in terms of his work. He was just beginning to own it and embrace it."

Adding some color, she says, "He was a huge, obsessive, chess freak – and very, very good at it."

Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: MilAn on March 16, 2008, 06:04:27 pm
Amy Pascal:  "He was always introducing you to 3,000 mates whose names you can’t remember."

Philip Seymour Hoffman:  "Heath didn’t have the cynicism that this business can eventually put upon people, or the pretension that certain artists can carry with them sometimes. He had a really honest quality about him. He obviously had never lost his wide-eyed optimism."

Michelle Williams:  "I think that the interesting thing about Heath, which maybe people have only really fully discovered in his death, is how vulnerable he was. You can pick up on it in his performances, but it’s easy to overlook because he was so physical and beautiful and strong and masculine. But there was always that underlying sensitivity. That’s who he was."

Sean Penn:  "Heath was not simply a quiet and gifted actor who liked to go surfing, though that is how I primarily knew him in life. In the time we spent together, we spoke a bit about family, about travels, but most of all, about film.Yet, in his unassuming way, he never revealed to me the visual poet of the first order who I discovered watching the film clips he directed, music videos and such, after his death. His talent does speak volumes of the kind man, the loving father, and, in fact, the brilliant and gifted guy I really missed out on—that we all did, in the long run. Heath might have been a giant."

http://www.eonline.com/gossip/hum/detail/index.jsp?uuid=2e0657c9-9f6a-4436-af27-79e0b3ae857b&sid=fd-hum (http://www.eonline.com/gossip/hum/detail/index.jsp?uuid=2e0657c9-9f6a-4436-af27-79e0b3ae857b&sid=fd-hum)
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: mvansand76 on March 21, 2008, 08:54:40 am
Here's a link to the entire article on Heath in Interview magazine, complete with gorgeous photos.  I think somebody's scanned the magazine, but if you keep clicking on each page, it zooms in enough that you can read it and see the photos clearly.

One mix of photos seems to have been taken by Naomi Watts' brother around the time of the movie 'Ned Kelly'.  Heath himself has drawn and written on most of them.  Priceless!  The one of Heath with Michelle, him pretending to be pregnant with her, is just so sweet.

The great love and affection Heath's friends obviously felt for him, and the high esteem in which he was held, shines through in this moving article.  Very beautiful.  I loved it!  It confirms so much of what I already thought about Heath, but didn't know for certain.

http://www.shareapic.net/283699-Heath-Ledger-in-Interview-Magazine-April-2008.html

I agree and Naomi Watts seems like she knew Heath through and through too, which I think is beautiful. They were together a long time, weren't they? Longer than he was with Michelle?
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: MaineWriter on March 21, 2008, 09:49:19 am
I agree and Naomi Watts seems like she knew Heath through and through too, which I think is beautiful. They were together a long time, weren't they? Longer than he was with Michelle?

They met on the set of Ned Kelley in Sept 2002 and had a two year "on again, off again" romance, from most of the sources I have seen. They broke up for good in May 2004.

The filming of Brokeback was in the summer of 2004, right? So Heath and Michelle would have been together for about three years, announcing their breakup Sep 2007.

L
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: MilAn on March 21, 2008, 12:42:32 pm
Small tribute from Anne Hathaway at the end of the speech:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZuIdQVEVY0 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZuIdQVEVY0)
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: belbbmfan on March 21, 2008, 01:22:03 pm
Thanks for posting that Milan. She's a classy lady!  :)
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Kelda on March 22, 2008, 12:50:33 pm
Small tribute from Anne Hathaway at the end of the speech:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZuIdQVEVY0 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZuIdQVEVY0)


Thanks for posting that Milan. She's a classy lady!  :)


 :) :'(
she is indeed

sidenote - I didn't know her brother was gay.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Brown Eyes on March 26, 2008, 10:17:22 am

sidenote - I didn't know her brother was gay.

Heya,

Yup, this was discussed in the media from time to time back when BBM was new on the scene.  People used to speculate about whether her brother being gay had an impact on Anne's decision to take a role in BBM.

Here are two threads about it.
http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,2746.0.html (http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,2746.0.html)

http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,18187.0.html (http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,18187.0.html)



Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: optom3 on March 26, 2008, 11:21:40 am
This new reality bites!!



It sure sucks!!!! I cannot come to terms with it.I will be in the middle of something mundane,then WHAM, it hits again.I end up crying,and feeling silly.To think how scathing I was when Princess Diana died.I cringe when I think of some of the things I thought about the outpouring of grief.I truly thought the country/world had gone mad,Fast forward,and here am I.!!!!
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Peachy on April 05, 2008, 01:11:17 am
I don't know if this has been posted in here but as it's just been Heath's birthday... there's a website at
http://houseoffame.blogspot.com/ called Geoffrey Chaucer Hath a Blog, written by 'Geoffrey' in ye olde English.  It is very funny, and I've just found this poignant, Knights Tale style entry written back in February.  The olde words make it tricky, but the gist of it's quite clear for fans of Sir William Thatcher. :)


"Thogh my pen is but a sely thing, bettir fit for ditees and smal jokes and puns, yet ich koud nat but trye to write sum few lynes of rym for the memorie of my good freend, the which ich share heere. Ich knowe that newes of his deeth hath long ben known, and many wyse folk have seyd thinges of hym, yet tak this rym-doggerel for my part.

A COMPLEYNTE ON THE DETH OF SIR WILLIAM THATCHER, SUMTYME YCLEPED ULRICH VON LIECHTENSTEIN

Yif al the woe and teeres and hevinesse
And eek the sorwe, compleynte and wamentynge
That man hath heard in thes yeeres of distresse
Togedir were y-put, too light a thynge
It sholde be for this yonge knightes mournynge.
Withouten hym this world can no wey plese,
Fulfild it is of shadwe and disese.

In sorwe and teeres and eek in hevinesse
Stand Roland, Wat, and Kate, his compaigyne,
(And eek mynself, the forger of noblesse):
Sir Deeth wyth falshede and wyth sorcerye
Hath slayn thys knight who never feered to dye,
Of honor nat of lyf took Ulrich kepe.
A see of teeres nys nat ynogh to wepe.

Proud Deth, yower trophie is our hevinesse,
Your heraud may ful loude yel and crie,
For thou hast slayn the flour of hardinesse:
Sir Ulrich knewe the herte of chivalrie
And evir daunce he coud to melodye;
A silent yere he spent oones in a toun
In Itaylye to understonde a roun.

This feble world fulfild of hevinesse
Offreth us nat but wo, o welaway!
No thyng it hath may us give restfulnesse
For yisterday was noblere and moore gay
Than thys clipt peni that we hold today.
On Ulrich spende yower XII last silver teeres
Syn now departid aren hys golden yeeres.

He chaungid hys sterres, ros out of lowlinesse,
Bicam the man that fyrst did make me thinke
Our dedes nat our birth bring gentilesse –
And when ich was depe in the dice and drinke
He bought my pants ayein, it is no nay
May hevenes blisse repay that charité!
For blessed on erthe are al who had the chaunce
To walk the gardyn of his turbulaunce.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Mikaela on April 05, 2008, 04:32:02 am
I have read some Chaucer, but only translated into modern Norwegian and not in this style! Took some little work puzzling it out but it was worth it. The sentiment behind it seems real and true and a very fitting lament to be re-posted on Heath's birthday. Thank you for bringing that here, Peachy!  :)

"He chaungid hys sterres"...yes he did. 
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Meryl on April 05, 2008, 11:15:58 am
That's the most unique of all the eulogies I've seen for Heath, Peachy!  Thanks for posting that.  8)

I like the line

"He bought my pants ayein, it is no nay
May hevenes blisse repay that charité!"

Reminds me of "Gondor needs no pants!"  ;D
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: mvansand76 on April 09, 2008, 01:54:45 pm
This really is very beautiful...

http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1585063/story.jhtml (http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1585063/story.jhtml)

Verne Troyer Recalls Working With Heath Ledger On His Final Film: 'Heath Meant A Lot To A Lot Of People'
Troyer even got a tattoo with other 'Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus' cast- and crewmembers in memory of the late actor.


SANTA MONICA, California — When people normally see Verne Troyer, sadness is the farthest thing from their minds. The world's smallest movie star has brought laughter to millions as Mini-Me, the diminutive sidekick to Dr. Evil in the "Austin Powers" films, and reteams with Mike Myers in June for the comedy "The Love Guru."

The drama he most recently finished shooting, however, has grabbed international headlines with its tragic and ultimately inspiring behind-the-scenes story. This week, an emotional Troyer tried to hold back the tears, speaking about his "Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" co-star and friend Heath Ledger.

"I've just got to say thank you to Heath for letting me be a part of his life for that short period of time," Troyer said, thinking back to the day the world first heard about the Oscar nominee's January 22 death. "It's just tragic.


"What happened was that we had just finished filming in London, and I had a scene with Heath, as did Christopher Plummer, who's also in the film, Lily Cole and Andrew Garfield," the actor recalled. "We had all just worked with him and we all flew back. He flew back to New York, I flew back to L.A., and two days or three days after he was in New York was when it happened. I was still recovering from jet lag back in L.A., and I didn't know about it until my manager called me. She wouldn't tell me on the phone. She literally came over and told me. And I just literally broke down."

At that sensitive memory, Troyer had to pause for a moment and request a tissue. But still, he insisted on finishing up the thought.

"He was such a talented actor and just a good person all around," he added. "I couldn't believe it."

Written and directed by legendary filmmaker Terry Gilliam, Troyer admitted that any attempt at summarizing the fantasy world of "Parnassus" would be futile. Still, he gave it his best shot.

"Christopher Plummer plays Doctor Parnassus, and I play Percy. My real name is Percival St. Antwon Delatrane the third," he grinned. "It's a traveling theater group, and we have an old horse-drawn carriage, and the wagon folds out into a theater with a stage. We travel from town to town. We have a magic mirror that people go into to experience their imaginations, and they have a choice of which direction they want their lives to go. There's one direction where it looks good, but it's actually not good, and then there's [one] that doesn't look good, and that's probably the right path to take."

After Ledger's death, there were concerns that the film could be scrapped and the actor's final scenes lost forever. Then, Troyer remembered, something very special happened.

"We had Johnny Depp, we had Colin Farrell, we had Jude Law come in and do scenes, just to honor Heath," he explained. "[Now], when Heath goes into the mirror, he comes out as another person, and that's where these other actors come in."

As those A-listers helped complete the film, Troyer and many of the other people in the "Parnassus" family devised their own tribute to the "Brokeback Mountain" star. "There was a note that Heath had written his e-mail on and had given it to Holly, who is Terry's daughter and a publicist for the film," he explained. "After his e-mail, he scribbled a heart on it."

Now, that very scribble is inked forever on Troyer's right hand. "A lot of us went and copied that heart and had it tattooed, in remembrance of Heath," he explained, showing off his heartfelt symbol. "We had it copied identical to how he scribbled it. ... [We have it in] various places. I believe Lily got it on the inside of her arm. Holly got it up on the inside of her arm."

As it now stands, "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" is looking like it will survive to give Ledger's legion of heartbroken fans the opportunity to glimpse the last scenes he ever performed before a camera, likely sometime in 2009. Troyer understands why they're eager to experience one last Ledger memory — and will always be happy that he was able to do the same.

"It's a scene where we've just picked up Heath, and he was knocked-out, and we put him in the trunk of the carriage and he comes out of the carriage not knowing where he's at," Troyer recalls of his favorite memory of the late actor. "Then I come out of my quarters, which is underneath the wagon, in a drawer that pulls out. ... It was this scene where it's just me and him. He was off-camera [for a while]. It was basically just on me, and I got to react off of him. He helped me get through a scene [where I had to say my name]. I stumbled a couple of times trying to get through it.

"Terry, don't get mad at me," he continued, offering his director an apology. "I have footage, personal footage, of that scene that I took on my camera. And that's something I'm going to treasure for a lifetime.

"Heath meant a lot," Troyer added, "to a lot of people."



Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: MilAn on April 12, 2008, 03:47:09 pm
Bless him! What beautiful words about Heath!
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Fran on May 06, 2008, 02:31:56 am
From The Monthly (http://www.themonthly.com.au/tm/node/821)

March 2008 | The Monthly Essays

Heath Ledger, 1979-2008
LUKE DAVIES [the author of the novel Candy]

Tucked away in the final vignette of the gag reel from Lords of Dogtown - Catherine Hardwicke's 2005 dramatisation of the skate-punk phenomenon that burst to life in California around 1975 and has deeply influenced fashion, youth culture and the sneaker-marketing wars ever since - is a surreal and strangely prescient moment. The actor Michael Angarano, who plays one of the teen skaters in the film, has dressed up as the character Heath Ledger plays: Skip Engblom, the messy, eccentric mentor figure who gathered a motley bunch of teen misfits around him and turned them into both alternative-culture superstars and cash cows. Angarano wears the full Engblom costume, the flared jeans, the flowery open shirt, the dishevelled blond surfie wig. At first glance you assume it is Ledger having fun in an outtake. But it is Angarano mimicking Ledger mimicking Engblom, the drunken performance getting more over the top as he moves towards us, the extras laughing nervously because they know it is not real and yet the camera is rolling. At the last moment Angarano comes as close to the camera as he can and says, dropping suddenly out of the Ledger character and looking straight down the barrel, "Hey Heath, we're gonna miss you man, yeah." The gag reel fades to black.

It is clearly a mischievous, in-joke cast-and-crew moment, something personal for Ledger. Perhaps it was his last day of shooting. But given his tragic death in January, aged 28, the moment has a haunted quality about it: one of Ledger's own characters saying goodbye to him. We're gonna miss you man, indeed.

Early in the film, Skip is lecturing his young protégés, in what's meant to be a parody of one of those inspirational-coach-inspires-the-team moments. It comes out, in Ledger's enjoyably over-the-top performance, as a slightly spaced-out and self-conscious hippie pep-talk. "You gotta approach every day like it's your last," he drawls in his outrageous '60s-Santa-Monica-beach-bum accent. "Alright? Anyone got a problem with that?"

It's corny to read much into this. But the very energy which made Ledger live each day as if it were his last is what made him dynamic on screen, and made him a star. Away from the screen, that energy instilled in those who knew him an extraordinarily deep love and affection. Their sense of loss is profound. We can only imagine how painful it must be for Michelle Williams, and for Ledger's family - and how difficult to navigate through the media storm. (Ledger's father, Kim, understated and dignified throughout, released a statement that said, "We remain humble as parents and a family, among millions of people worldwide who may have suffered the tragic loss of a child.")

This pain felt at the sudden loss of a friend, a son, a lover, is understandable. What has been more surprising is the strength of the response of the world at large. Something heroic, playful and generous in Ledger struck a chord with many people, and a collective sadness was experienced - for some, spontaneously and unexpectedly. It was not the salacious interest in the loss of a celebrity, not the desire of the great unwashed to align itself with a Hollywood god-figure by a kind of false grieving. Nor was it about a circus sideshow, though a media circus quickly set up acres of internet tents, with all sorts of bizarre acts. It seemed to be a simpler kind of sadness - at the loss of someone we enjoyed being in the presence of, someone whose transparent openness to his characters' emotions had made us feel, however briefly, more richly our own.

The LA Weekly's deputy editor, Joe Donnelly, knows the real Skip Engblom, Heath Ledger's Lords of Dogtown character, and believes that Ledger's performance was uncanny. "He's almost eerie in how precisely he nailed not only the mannerisms, cadence and physical presence of Skip," says Donnelly, "but also how he raises Skip's spirit, which is the heart and soul and most of what's really great in a not-altogether-great film." The performance constantly sails close to hammy - Engblom was, by all accounts, a flamboyant character - but is pulled back, the wildness offset by a surprising depth of sadness. As in a number of Ledger roles, a kind of animal wisdom and melancholy exists side-by-side with gangly comedy. Witness the beautiful moment late in the film when Engblom, who has somewhat fallen from grace, is alone in the back room of the surf shop, sanding a board. He's a bit drunk. He has, by this stage of the film, every reason to feel unhappy, and perhaps he does. But he's in his element, and when he starts singing along to Rod Stewart's ‘Maggie May', it is rich and tender and intimate; we absolutely connect with his emotion. There's so much going on, and yet Ledger's doing so little.

The English model and actress Lily Cole saw some of this much-in-little that defined Ledger both on and off the screen. She was cast last year in her first significant film role, in Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, opposite Ledger. (The film was mid-shoot when he died, and in the process of transferring camp from London to Canada. Ledger was in New York for a few days, and was heading next to Vancouver.) The actor made his places - in London, New York, LA - available to whoever was passing through; he hated an empty house, his friends uniformly agree. Obsessed with music, Ledger gave Cole the password to his computer to access his iTunes, inviting her to roam and browse. She felt privileged that he would entrust her with not just his home, but such an intimate thing as a personal computer. Then, logging on, she noticed that five or six of their mutual friends had also been there recently.

"He wanted everyone to share what he loved," Cole says. "He was just like" - she spreads her arms wide - "he was just like ... give. Give. You know what I mean?"

I don't, really; or not in the way his friends do. But I saw him give himself over, graciously and intensely, to the role I had created in my novel, and drawn from my own life, that became the film Candy. It is impossible, in attempting to pay tribute to Ledger as this magazine's film critic, not to talk about the circumstances of my own connection with him. Ledger's Dan is ultimately a fictional creation, a character who first emerged from the novel; was then re-imagined for the screen by me and co-screenwriter (and director) Neil Armfield; was appropriated by Ledger, taking what he needed from the prototypes and adding his own brilliance; and was finally assembled by Armfield in the edit room. It was a long journey from the facts, such as they once existed. It was, to me, another person up there on the screen; I was merely, along with everyone else, the observer of a beautiful performance. And yet I was aware that I was the only person watching that film who could say it was in some way me on screen. It was an unnerving experience. It felt like a privilege, too.

So I felt I had been the recipient of something from Ledger. Not just a lasting interpretation of something deeply personal that had found its way, through a long and sometimes painful path, from me to the outside world. No, I think it was also my ego's relief that his at times incandescent performance made the character somehow likeable. Because I can't say that's a word I would use to describe myself in my spectacularly dysfunctional twenties.

I was on set all day, every day, shooting a making-of documentary that became a kind of anti-making-of and is yet to see the light of day. I also had a one-line role in the film, as a milkman. It was a joke for six weeks among cast and crew, the neurotic author and his looming cameo, but by the time the night of my scene came around, it was deadly serious, so far as I was concerned: I was dry-throated with the realisation that I was about to commit my woodenness to celluloid, and that I had been a fool to seek the role. It was Ledger who broke through that ridiculous self-obsession: in all the mad bustle just before we started shooting the takes, as I stood there in the glare of the lights practising my action and going over my line, he put his hand on my shoulder and said, very quietly, "Breathe, Lukey, breathe." I managed, if not to breathe, then at least to smile. Lily Cole speaks of the same phenomenon on the set of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. From the start of shooting, Ledger took her under his wing. "Are you nervous?" he asked. (She was.) "It's going to be fine," he said. Ledger's playful spontaneity helped her to not take the whole process too seriously.

Cole remembers Ledger being absolutely driven to finish scenes, even though in the final week in London he was suffering from the flu. He was never the precious actor. The crew would want to wrap things up, for his sake, but Ledger insisted they plough ahead while they still had the "momentum". "OK, everyone," he'd announce, clapping his hands before a take, "let's make this one fun!" - as if the last one had not been exactly that. On a few occasions I saw him say the same thing on the set of Candy, with a mischievous grin. It was his way of saying: Let's remember why we're here; let's recharge the batteries. The crew loved him for it. Those moments would break through the exhaustion, if only briefly. And no one begrudged him his riches, either. It was more a sense of wonder that we could view, at close range, the endearing ease of his person and his performance, knowing that at last we were all there making the film because his presence in it had helped us get the final financing arranged. It was also the sense of wonder, of course, at watching all that fun on set become, later, so much more on screen.

In that same week in London, he called his agent, Steve Alexander, in Los Angeles. Alexander had believed in and nurtured Ledger from early on, and the young actor had crashed many a month on the young agent's couch, in the days when his career was just beginning. Ledger was notorious among friends and family for his endless phone calls, always wanting to relate his latest idea at any hour of the day or night, without much regard for time zones. Alexander was more used to them than most. "I'm really getting the hang of this at last," Ledger said to him from the set, calling just to tell him he was having fun with Terry Gilliam. "I think I'm beginning to know what I'm doing."

He knew what he was doing, in fact, from an early age. He knew the direction he was heading - east, for starters. Not even 17, he packed up and drove himself from Perth to Sydney, in search of fortune. That awkward country boy in a Kings Cross bedsit, determined to make it as a boxer in Gregor Jordan's 1999 film Two Hands - Ledger's first major role - is not a million miles from that Perth boy making a go of it with quiet determination in the Big Smoke.

And then he went further east, to America. One well-known actor described him, off the record, as "this great white shark who came over to our shores and ate all our roles and our women". Women adored him, and he them. He was embarrassingly romantic, each time he fell in love. He bordered on impulsive. I witnessed, during the Candy shoot, the startling intensity of his love for Michelle Williams: the reverence with which he spoke of her, his quietly joyful announcement of her pregnancy, the way they laughed when together. I saw them dance in an empty Kings Cross nightclub, Ledger swirling Williams around, grinning so widely, like the cat that got the cream. He seemed both startled by, and at ease with, good fortune.

"If you asked something of him, the answer was not always yes; it was often, ‘I've got a better idea!'" says the Australian actress Bojana Novakovic, a good friend of Ledger's since they acted together in Blackrock, when Ledger was 17 and Novakovic just 15. "And then everyone would be swept along," agrees Sara Cline, another of his close friends, who ran his production company, The Masses, along with director Matt Amato and Ledger himself.

"His life turned on a dime all the time, which taught me a lot about living in the moment," Cline explains. One Friday morning, Ledger called her and asked, "What do you think about getting a caravan and going to Mexico for the weekend? A dozen of us ... we can surf, camp, be back on Monday."

She was on her way to rent the campervan when Ledger called back and said, "Listen, I was thinking its a little too last-minute; maybe we should go Wednesday instead. It'll be less traffic, more time to plan."

"OK ..." Cline hesitated. "But Heath, we have a company to run."

"Yeah," he shot back. "But it's our company. We can do whatever we want."

Then he added, sheepishly: "Can't we?"

Cline replied, "Heath, by Wednesday, you could be in another country. If we're going to do this, we have to do it now."

At 3 on Saturday morning, a 12-person camper left the windy curves of Mulholland Drive, bound for the border. And, like most things in Ledger's life, there were no regrets.

In life and art, he was a mixture of child and sage. He was boyish in many ways, and yet it was not a Peter Pan quality, of someone incapable of growth. And for all that youth, he did at times seem like an old soul. He was just 22 when he played Sonny Grotowski, in Monster's Ball. That character was so crushed by the grimy weight of life's circumstances, he might have been 60. Billy Bob Thornton played his deeply flawed prison-guard father; Peter Boyle, his irredeemably corrupted grandfather. It was a lineage of nasty white-pecker bigotry. Lost and adrift among awful men, knowing that he could not survive what it would take to live the morally corroded life that seemed his destiny, Ledger was riveting: the lamb in need of nurturing, and at the same time a kind of automaton, inured to the verbal abuses of these appalling males. (It was Monster's Ball that convinced Neil Armfield that Ledger was the one for Candy.)

His exit from the film, only 20 minutes in, is a genuine shock the first time you see it. And though it's Thornton's film, there's a sense that Ledger might have hijacked it, had he stayed. It's because he offers a reservoir of vulnerability, an openness to experience. In the trailer-trash South of the film, that vulnerability is a liability; in Ledger himself, the transparency of that vulnerability as he brought it, again and again, to the screen, is what made him great, and his small body of work lasting. It is all the more moving because of the way it sat with his grace and fluidity, the way he seemed, in his films, so comfortable in own skin. He was not always so comfortable in interviews.

Ledger could effortlessly push these qualities in different directions. In Brokeback Mountain the vulnerability, the potential for danger, is so great - a world so masculine it might destroy you for any aberration - that his real brilliance was to bring to the screen a character, Ennis Del Mar, so fundamentally shut down that he is like a bible of unrequited desires, stifled yearnings, lost potential. In A Knight's Tale, on the other hand, he is vulnerable only in the sense of being a new adventurer in a world that is clearly going to teach him more than a few lessons. It is a dumb film, but fun dumb (like, say, There's Something About Mary) as opposed to Hollywood-is-very-dumb dumb (like Pearl Harbor). Ledger knew just how to ride such films lightly, with self-awareness and good humour.

He was making good choices. The world was at his feet. The sense of loss many have experienced since his death is not just for what has gone, but for what would have been. There always seems, for instance, to be a Steve McQueen biopic project floating around Hollywood; it's hard to imagine anyone other than Ledger capturing perfectly the young McQueen. He had that similar restless energy, that public guardedness and private expansiveness. Candy producer Margaret Fink speaks of being "knocked out" by her first sight of Ledger, at the front door of her Sydney home. "Too simple to put it down to that smile," she says, "but boy, what a smile. There was energy in that smile."

After Brokeback, there was no longer any doubt that he would go on to be one of the great leading men of his time. "He knew his own power," says Neil Armfield. "His relationship with the camera was so instinctive, so private. There was, of course, his face: intelligent, kind, beautiful. Those eyes. That mouth. That smile. His extraordinary physical agility - he was a great natural clown. And that rich, glorious voice."

The film-going public fell in love with all of that. In private, his friends fell in love with all that and more. Late one night recently in London, Ledger went out dancing with Bojana Novakovic. Before leaving, Ledger couldn't find his iPod cord with twin earsets. So he loaded Novakovic's iPod with the same evening's playlist he had just prepared on his own one. "One - two - three!" he said, synchronising players, as in a military operation, so they could be listening to the same songs at exactly the same time as they walked the streets and rode the Tube. At the nightclub, on the dance floor, he shouted to Novakovic, "I hate this music!" And so, once again, they synchronised their iPods - "One - two - three!" - and danced, for the next hour, in a bubble of their own. At the end, a chap came up to them and said, with admiration, "What are you guys on?"

"You look at death differently," said Ledger in a recent interview, speaking of what happens when you become a father. (Matilda, his daughter to Michelle Williams, is two years old.) "I feel good about dying now because I feel like I'm alive in her, but at the same hand [sic], you don't wanna die because you want to be around for the rest of her life." I remember in those first awful moments of learning of his death, as the flurry of phone calls and text messages multiplied, wishing for anything, anything at all other than this abrupt impossibility. One of those vacuous, lurid gossip-column items - Ledger rushed to hospital, suspected overdose, a publicist speaking of ‘exhaustion' - would have been fine. Anything other than this finality.

Yet he fully inhabited his life, and he left not just traces but great swathes of himself. He was extravagant, in gesture and in action, in intimacy and on screen. But his friend the New York tattooist Scott Campbell, who had arranged to meet Ledger for dinner on the night he died, says it was Ledger's kindness and sincerity, above all else, that came through at close quarters. Campbell speaks of how, when Ledger talked about Matilda, he - Campbell - would get jealous about the amazing childhood she was going to have. "Heath would get all excited about it and that excitement was so contagious," Campbell says. "All the things he would do with her as she grew up. Like buying a garage in Brooklyn and setting up a big screen on the back wall, so he and Matilda could pull the car up into it and have their own private drive-in theatre."

"And now," he says, "every time the weight of all this comes down on me, I just think about Matilda, and how she got cheated out of her drive-in."

Published in The Monthly, March 2008, No. 32
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Ellemeno on May 06, 2008, 05:07:54 am
Here's an article about Scott Campbell, Brooklyn tattoo artist, who is quoted in the last paragraph of the preceding post:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/22/magazine/22wwlnconsumed.t.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Meryl on July 17, 2008, 07:18:21 pm
I posted this under the Dark Knight thread, too, but it's really a lovely tribute to Heath as Ennis:

http://www.tribecafilmfestival.org/news-features/features/heath.html

Wednesday July 16, 2008
Heath Ledger, You Got Us Good

By Nathaniel Rogers

As excitement mounts for The Dark Knight and Heath Ledger as the Joker, we take a look back at Ledger's towering performance as Ennis Del Mar in Brokeback Mountain.

It’s been only six months since the rising star Heath Ledger died of an accidental and toxic mix of prescription pills in New York City. He was 28 years old. What a difference half a year makes. From his death on January 22nd, 2008 to the opening of his last completed film, The Dark Knight, on July 18th he’s been transformed in the media from promising young actor to everyone’s favorite young actor. He’s now unarguably the doomed icon of this generation.

Ledger has been frequently eulogized in the past six months but he’s been oddly present, too; it’s as if he’s been watching the chaos of public mourning and contributing to it with intermittent peeks at his anarchic performance as “The Joker”. This odd double exposure of canonized and living actor didn’t happen through exploitative Hollywood maneuvering but simple economics. How do you stop a moving train? Tent pole scheduling is serious business and Knight was already well en route to its July berth when tragedy stuck. Ledger, too, was already earmarked—or grin-marked if you will—as that film’s principal visual marketing hook.

For all the current hoopla surrounding his intense take on a classic character, when the smoke clears, the Joker won't be the definitive Heath Ledger performance, the one that people remember him for in years to come. His astonishing creation of Ennis Del Mar is the one. His complete immersion into that self-loathing cowboy forever lost on Brokeback Mountain would have ensured his place in film history even if he had lived a long uneventful life as a working actor afterwards. The actor’s tragic demise only sped his classic work to its natural destination.

Brokeback Mountain, widely considered an instant classic upon its release in December 2005, keeps on improving with repeat viewings. Three years after its debut it’s more moving than ever, like some perfectly made objet d’art that feels more classic the more familiar it becomes. Ang Lee, a gifted auteur, deserves the lion’s share of praise for shaping the already heartbreaking short story by Annie Proulx, but he was blessed with the perfect cast in transitioning it to the screen. At first, the central roles of ranch hand lovers Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist were difficult to cast. The promise of working with Lee meant that Young Hollywood was interested but the sexuality of the material frightened some “name” actors away.

History was made once Ledger and his screen partner Jake Gyllenhaal were on board.  Romantic dramas live or die by their acting duets and Brokeback Mountain had it. Ledger’s painfully coiled star turn, while owning the film, owes a great deal to the eager sensitivity of Gyllenhaal’s work and vice versa. The contrast between their character temperaments and star personas only heightens the passion and the tragedy. Maybe Ennis and Jack could have saved each other.  If only…

Consider for a moment how vastly different they just stand and see their worlds. When we get our first look at Ennis Del Mar he’s leaning against a wall, smoking. He rarely lifts his head, staring only at his boots. Even before his sexual collision with Jack and resultant turmoil, Ledger has handed us a snapshot of man trapped inside himself. Jack Twist, on the other hand, moves like he’s a part of the larger world rather than a sole inhabitant. Even in repose, leaning against his truck while giving Ennis that first once over, he’s aggressively carnal. Ennis barely allows himself a glance but Jack isn’t at all shy about staring. Gyllenhaal makes deft use of his huge expressive eyes—they never stop looking at Ennis. Even as the romance progresses, Jack's desire for friendship, camaraderie even, never abates, remaining clear in his every expression, every flicker of his blue, blue eyes.

Actors are often lauded for physical transformations but the crystalline precision of Ledger’s star turn in Brokeback Mountain is that the physicality of Ennis is only a manifestation of the internal. The performance is as specific as any dutiful biopic recreation but it’s causal, lived in, rather than imitative. Ledger understands and telegraphs that Ennis’s discomfort is not physical but psychic. Ennis’s clenched physicality, his inconsistently tactile responses to his lover, the famous way he swallows his dialogue—these are merely his insides turned out. He can’t live with himself. He can’t live with or without Jack. This man can’t truly live.

Ennis may have lived a miserable half-life, but Ledger’s performance ironically delivers a full, radiant life. When people talk about "promising" actors it means they’ve generally been impressed but they’re still waiting for one great performance or signature role to come. Ledger’s death came far too early; there’s no disputing that. But promising isn’t the right word for his gifts. His breakthrough performance was not a promise made but a promise fulfilled. Ledger’s death and this towering performance have placed us in the awkward position of Jack Twist himself.  We’re still staring greedily at Heath Ledger, asking in vain for more. With Ennis Del Mar, the young actor delivered a performance so stunning and true that we’ll never be able to quit him.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Meryl on July 18, 2008, 12:08:20 am
http://www.macuser.com/ipod/heath_ledgers_ipod_serves_as_a.php

July 17, 2008

Heath Ledger’s iPod serves as a living memory

Posted Jul. 17, ’08, 9:57 AM PT by Cyrus Farivar


As Batman: The Dark Knight Returns opens nationwide, there have been a lot of comments about the late actor, Heath Ledger, who passed away just after the conclusion of the film’s shooting.

Valleywag noticed that in a recent edition of The Today Show, Aaron Eckhart, a co-star in the film, talked about Ledger’s iPod and his friends’ relationship to it:

    I told a little story about Heath’s iPod. Whenever we went into the trailer we’d say “Whose iPod is this?” Because it would always be some wacked-out music nobody had ever heard of before. And it was Heath’s. And that iPod has since become a symbol of Heath and his friends pass it around to each other, download the music and then pass it on.

Snarky comments about actors promoting music piracy aside, I guess I’d never considered someone’s playlist a reflection of who they are, but I suppose in a lot of ways, it is. I suppose I should make sure that someone has my iTunes Account password before I pass on so they can enjoy stuff that I bought too.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: optom3 on July 18, 2008, 12:30:10 am
Thankyou times a million.
That is one of the best tributes I have read about Heath.I love that with all TDK coverage, someone hs stepped forward to revisit BBM.
I will eventually see TDK ,but for me it was BBM that turned my world upside down.I echo the sentiments of the final sentence,I certainly will not be able to quit him.
He left too soon ,leaving us all wanting more.A clever observation to ally us wanting more of Heath, withJack wanting more of Ennis.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: optom3 on July 18, 2008, 12:48:47 am
http://www.macuser.com/ipod/heath_ledgers_ipod_serves_as_a.php

July 17, 2008

Heath Ledger’s iPod serves as a living memory

Posted Jul. 17, ’08, 9:57 AM PT by Cyrus Farivar


As Batman: The Dark Knight Returns opens nationwide, there have been a lot of comments about the late actor, Heath Ledger, who passed away just after the conclusion of the film’s shooting.

Valleywag noticed that in a recent edition of The Today Show, Aaron Eckhart, a co-star in the film, talked about Ledger’s iPod and his friends’ relationship to it:

    I told a little story about Heath’s iPod. Whenever we went into the trailer we’d say “Whose iPod is this?” Because it would always be some wacked-out music nobody had ever heard of before. And it was Heath’s. And that iPod has since become a symbol of Heath and his friends pass it around to each other, download the music and then pass it on.

Snarky comments about actors promoting music piracy aside, I guess I’d never considered someone’s playlist a reflection of who they are, but I suppose in a lot of ways, it is. I suppose I should make sure that someone has my iTunes Account password before I pass on so they can enjoy stuff that I bought too.


I have always thought someones music taste was a really good indicator of who they are.I love it when someone introduces me to a band I have not listened to.I find it equally satisfying when someone loves a piece of music that I do.Generally if someone has very different music taste to me,we will not gel. It's a bit lke those who just don't get BBM.
I would love to know what Heath had on is iPod.
Strangely for an optometrist, I would rather lose my sight than my hearing.A life deprived of music would be unbearable.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Ellemeno on July 18, 2008, 10:09:46 pm
http://www.macuser.com/ipod/heath_ledgers_ipod_serves_as_a.php

July 17, 2008

Heath Ledger’s iPod serves as a living memory

Posted Jul. 17, ’08, 9:57 AM PT by Cyrus Farivar


As Batman: The Dark Knight Returns opens nationwide, there have been a lot of comments about the late actor, Heath Ledger, who passed away just after the conclusion of the film’s shooting.

Valleywag noticed that in a recent edition of The Today Show, Aaron Eckhart, a co-star in the film, talked about Ledger’s iPod and his friends’ relationship to it:

    I told a little story about Heath’s iPod. Whenever we went into the trailer we’d say “Whose iPod is this?” Because it would always be some wacked-out music nobody had ever heard of before. And it was Heath’s. And that iPod has since become a symbol of Heath and his friends pass it around to each other, download the music and then pass it on.

Snarky comments about actors promoting music piracy aside, I guess I’d never considered someone’s playlist a reflection of who they are, but I suppose in a lot of ways, it is. I suppose I should make sure that someone has my iTunes Account password before I pass on so they can enjoy stuff that I bought too.


If anyone finds out what's on that playlist, I'd love to know the details.  Nick Drake and Joy Division are two I had never heard til Heath introduced them to me (not directly, of course).
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: chefjudy on September 03, 2008, 12:00:39 am
 :) I'm not sure whether this has been posted before, but it is  a great tribute to Heath
by another writer:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005132/board/thread/116608048 (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005132/board/thread/116608048)

I had never read this one and it was so sad but at the same time so loving and respectful.............................. :'(

Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: optom3 on September 03, 2008, 09:13:08 am
:) I'm not sure whether this has been posted before, but it is  a great tribute to Heath
by another writer:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005132/board/thread/116608048 (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005132/board/thread/116608048)

I had never read this one and it was so sad but at the same time so loving and respectful.............................. :'(



Simply lovely article.Thanks for posting it.There certainly was something very special about that smile. I also identify with the different grieving being someone caught completely unawares by it.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Love on September 14, 2008, 08:20:23 am
Sign the petition if you feel that Heath Ledger's performance as "The Joker" deserves an Oscar.

http://www.youchoose.net/campaign/and_the_oscar_goes_to_heath_ledger
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Love on September 16, 2008, 03:31:03 pm
from a UK Magazine so might be aload of Rubbish but i hope its not cos its a good idea

MICHELLES DADDY DIARY

Matilda, Michelle Williams' daughter with the late Heath Ledger, is turning into a heathly adventurous little girl, but she will prbably never remember her famous daddy
so her mum Michelle, is making her a 'Daddy album' that she can show the 2 year old when shes older
'its a box containing heaths movies, photos of Michelle and Heath and letters in Heaths writing, some  are love letters to michelle from when they first started dating in 2004 and then some after Matilda was born in 2005.
   
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: newyearsday on September 16, 2008, 05:22:57 pm
Hey all,

Have not been here in a loooong while but I wanted to share something I just read that gave me chills.

Alec Baldwin, in answering questions for a Time Magazine piece, had this to say about Heath:

Watch a movie like "Brokeback Mountain," which is an incredible movie. You know, Heath Ledger dying was this huge tragedy because he gave one of the greatest screen performances of a male performer in 50 years, literally. Like with Brando. I would never say that, but he was that great in that movie. Forget Batman and all this other crap. "Brokeback Mountain" was just unbelievable.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/16/alec-baldwin-tina-fey-nai_n_126857.html (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/16/alec-baldwin-tina-fey-nai_n_126857.html)

Love,

Jenny
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: optom3 on September 16, 2008, 07:11:49 pm
Hey all,

Have not been here in a loooong while but I wanted to share something I just read that gave me chills.

Alec Baldwin, in answering questions for a Time Magazine piece, had this to say about Heath:

Watch a movie like "Brokeback Mountain," which is an incredible movie. You know, Heath Ledger dying was this huge tragedy because he gave one of the greatest screen performances of a male performer in 50 years, literally. Like with Brando. I would never say that, but he was that great in that movie. Forget Batman and all this other crap. "Brokeback Mountain" was just unbelievable.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/16/alec-baldwin-tina-fey-nai_n_126857.html (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/16/alec-baldwin-tina-fey-nai_n_126857.html)

Love,

Jenny



Wow, I love that sentence,forget Batman and all this other crap,BBM was just unbelievable and so say all of us.!!!!
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: belbbmfan on September 17, 2008, 02:59:48 am
Hey all,

Have not been here in a loooong while but I wanted to share something I just read that gave me chills.

Alec Baldwin, in answering questions for a Time Magazine piece, had this to say about Heath:

Watch a movie like "Brokeback Mountain," which is an incredible movie. You know, Heath Ledger dying was this huge tragedy because he gave one of the greatest screen performances of a male performer in 50 years, literally. Like with Brando. I would never say that, but he was that great in that movie. Forget Batman and all this other crap. "Brokeback Mountain" was just unbelievable.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/16/alec-baldwin-tina-fey-nai_n_126857.html (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/16/alec-baldwin-tina-fey-nai_n_126857.html)

Love,

Jenny



I couldn't agree more. Thank you Alec Baldwin!  :)
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Penthesilea on September 17, 2008, 10:52:53 am
Hey all,

Have not been here in a loooong while but I wanted to share something I just read that gave me chills.

Alec Baldwin, in answering questions for a Time Magazine piece, had this to say about Heath:

Watch a movie like "Brokeback Mountain," which is an incredible movie. You know, Heath Ledger dying was this huge tragedy because he gave one of the greatest screen performances of a male performer in 50 years, literally. Like with Brando. I would never say that, but he was that great in that movie. Forget Batman and all this other crap. "Brokeback Mountain" was just unbelievable.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/16/alec-baldwin-tina-fey-nai_n_126857.html (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/16/alec-baldwin-tina-fey-nai_n_126857.html)

Love,

Jenny



Hey Jenny,
so good to see you here! :D How're ya doin gurl?

Thanks for posting this. And of course I completely agree with Alec Baldwin.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: newyearsday on September 17, 2008, 12:17:43 pm
Hey Penthesilea,

Thanks for saying howdy. I'm doin', as they say. Went on a horseback ride this summer through the Hawaiian countryside and thought about Heath and Jake filming on horseback a lot, and Ennis and Jack of course. It was one of the best times I've had this summer. Haven't seen The Dark Knight. Not ready to yet. I'm moving away from NYC at least for the time being, in about a month, so that's a big deal. I'll miss the Brokies here a lot.

Hope people don't mind me saying all this here. It's good to see some old faces still around.

Big Cheers to everyone,

Jenny

P.S. Vote for Obama!
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: LauraGigs on September 17, 2008, 12:34:29 pm
For the time being?  So you might go back?  I'm dying to see NYC — never been there.

So where are you going?  Anyway, great to see you, and thanks for the great post about Alec (Baldwin, I mean).
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Marge_Innavera on September 17, 2008, 01:39:15 pm

Wow, I love that sentence,forget Batman and all this other crap,BBM was just unbelievable and so say all of us.!!!!

What's the point of 'forgetting' and denigrating everything else Heath did?  He evidently didn't believe that his other work was "crap", and that doesn't honor his memory. 

You can amend the statement to "so say all of us minus at least one."  I want no part of that.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Kelda on September 17, 2008, 05:28:42 pm
Hey all,

Have not been here in a loooong while but I wanted to share something I just read that gave me chills.

Alec Baldwin, in answering questions for a Time Magazine piece, had this to say about Heath:

Watch a movie like "Brokeback Mountain," which is an incredible movie. You know, Heath Ledger dying was this huge tragedy because he gave one of the greatest screen performances of a male performer in 50 years, literally. Like with Brando. I would never say that, but he was that great in that movie. Forget Batman and all this other crap. "Brokeback Mountain" was just unbelievable.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/16/alec-baldwin-tina-fey-nai_n_126857.html (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/16/alec-baldwin-tina-fey-nai_n_126857.html)

Love,

Jenny


Great quote Jenny and great to see you here
xx
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: optom3 on September 17, 2008, 05:48:46 pm
What's the point of 'forgetting' and denigrating everything else Heath did?  He evidently didn't believe that his other work was "crap", and that doesn't honor his memory. 

You can amend the statement to "so say all of us minus at least one."  I want no part of that.

I did not read the statement as meaning the rest of Heath's work was crap. I cannot imagine a fellow actor being so rude as to even vaguely suggest that. I just took it to men all the "crap" that surrounded Heath's death.People crawling out te wood work to comment on his alleged heavy drug use, suggesting he had not provided for Matilda etc.
Maybe I am just naieve, but that is how I read it. Is BBM his finest acting role, for me yes, but did I also love Candy, TDK,AKT, Casanova, 10 things, yes I most certainly did.
Could Mr Baldwin be referring to some of the roles that the critics here,panned maybe.I am going to continue to read it as all the general hoopla surrounding Heath.
Sorry if I offended anyone, that was never my intention.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Katie77 on September 17, 2008, 06:50:12 pm
I thought the quote from Alec Baldwin was honest and honourable to Heath and his acting ability.

It also indicateds that Baldwin, is not just a fan of Heath, but a great fan of the entire movie of BBM.

When he says "forget all that crap"....I think what he means is that Batman falls into insignificance when comparing it to BBM, and that if you want to remember Heath as a great actor, remembering him in Brokeback is a greater compliment to him, than remembering him in Batman.

I agree.......in BBM Heath played a man, who many many people can relate to and understand, because he was REAL......his character in Batman was that of a, for want of a better word, "cartoon character", anyone who donned all that makeup would have looked like the Joker, but NO ONE could have played the part of Ennis, as well, and as perfectly as Heath did.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Marge_Innavera on September 18, 2008, 09:45:48 am
I did not read the statement as meaning the rest of Heath's work was crap. I cannot imagine a fellow actor being so rude as to even vaguely suggest that. I just took it to men all the "crap" that surrounded Heath's death.People crawling out te wood work to comment on his alleged heavy drug use, suggesting he had not provided for Matilda etc.
Maybe I am just naieve, but that is how I read it. Is BBM his finest acting role, for me yes, but did I also love Candy, TDK,AKT, Casanova, 10 things, yes I most certainly did.
Could Mr Baldwin be referring to some of the roles that the critics here,panned maybe.I am going to continue to read it as all the general hoopla surrounding Heath.
Sorry if I offended anyone, that was never my intention.


I wasn't intending to attack anybody here and I certainly don't think that Jenny needs to apologize for anything. But I do think it's disturbing that a fellow actor would refer to Heath's other work as 'crap' and that people would be applauding a statement like that.  Baldwin didn't say the rest of Heath's work 'fell into insignificance' (bad enough, IMO) nor that 'remembering him in Brokeback was a greater compliment to him' nor that his character in TDK was a 'cartoon character.'  There are some good points there; but they're defenses of his statements after the fact, not anything he said.  And what he actually said was "Forget Batman and all this other crap. 'Brokeback Mountain' was just unbelievable."  While I agree that Heath's performance as Ennis was his greatest, Baldwin's being a fellow actor makes a statement like that less defensible, not more.  It's a reflection of this odd belief that you can't praise something without simultaneously devaluing something else and running it down.

Or put it this way: if Matilda was my child, that isn't one of the tributes to Heath I'd save in her scrapbook.  But I don't want to get into any kind of fight over this, so I've said my piece.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Penthesilea on September 19, 2008, 12:57:50 am
And what he actually said was "Forget Batman and all this other crap. 'Brokeback Mountain' was just unbelievable." 


Tell you what: I didn't link the "crap" part of his words to Heath respectively his movies. I took it as a more genereal statement, on the note of "all those meaningless but economically so successful blockbuster/popcorn movies".

Like a grumpy old man snarling about how bad the times are  ;D

And if I think about how successful King Kong was in comparison to BBM, which played at the same time, I can see from where he comes (although BBM was  surprisingly successful and there's nothing wrong with pure entertaining and then forget about it movies).
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: belbbmfan on September 19, 2008, 01:44:48 am


I agree.......in BBM Heath played a man, who many many people can relate to and understand, because he was REAL......his character in Batman was that of a, for want of a better word, "cartoon character", anyone who donned all that makeup would have looked like the Joker, but NO ONE could have played the part of Ennis, as well, and as perfectly as Heath did.

I agree completely with your view on this.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Love on September 19, 2008, 07:56:36 am

(http://i31.servimg.com/u/f31/09/01/75/95/five_l10.gif)

Five leaves, le bar d’Heath Ledger, a ouvert à New York

Son ultime projet

(http://i31.servimg.com/u/f31/09/01/75/95/28517610.jpg)

L’acteur australien mort en début d’année avait investi dans un bar, qui ouvre aujourd’hui à New York.
Il aura fallu attendre huit mois pour que le bar d’Heath Ledger, Five leaves, ouvre enfin ses portes aujourd’hui. L’acteur avait choisi le quartier de Brooklyn pour s’installer.

(http://i31.servimg.com/u/f31/09/01/75/95/0908fi10.jpg)

(http://i31.servimg.com/u/f31/09/01/75/95/28509210.jpg)

« C’est un endroit très cosy avec des tendances légèrement australiennes et californiennes. Un café qui fait bar à huîtres et propose également des snacks », révèle en avant-première le site américain UrbanDaddy.com. Fives leaves ressemble à « un bar construit par Thomas Edison (inventeur du télégraphe) pour y recevoir ses amis ».

(http://i31.servimg.com/u/f31/09/01/75/95/28649010.jpg)

Quant à la carte, vous pourrez, entre autres, y déguster de fines tranches de radis sur des toasts avec du beurre Evans Farmhouse. Par contre, nous ne connaissons pas encore la carte des prix de cet endroit, digne des décors des plus grands films de Tim Burton. Le bar d’Heath Ledger est situé à Brooklyn, la ville où est installée son ex-compagne Michelle Williams, avec sa fille Mathilda Rose.

(http://i31.servimg.com/u/f31/09/01/75/95/0807le10.jpg)

(http://i31.servimg.com/u/f31/09/01/75/95/28649210.jpg)

(http://i31.servimg.com/u/f31/09/01/75/95/28649410.jpg)

(http://i31.servimg.com/u/f31/09/01/75/95/28649610.jpg)

Five Leaves, the hotly anticipated bar from first time restaurateurs Jud Mongell and Kathy Mecham and once backed by Heath Ledger, is now open to the public for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It occupies a strange triangular space, giving it a lot of light, and has a subtle nautical theme (the door to the bathroom is an old ship door). If you've been to Smith & Mills or Williamsburg's Moto, you'll immediately recognize the handiwork of designer John McCormick.

(http://i31.servimg.com/u/f31/09/01/75/95/28657410.jpg)

(http://i31.servimg.com/u/f31/09/01/75/95/28509211.jpg)

The food has a slightly Australian bent (owners are from Down Under), but is pretty standard, affordable fare. The lunch menu features a $13 burger and a selection of sandwiches and salads in the under $10 range. Breakfast is pastries and coffees (which can be procured through a window to the side of the bar), along with pancakes and eggs. Of course, by the looks of the space we're expecting a sizable bar crowd as well. And a bonus: owners Jud and Kathy live just down the street, so you can expect to see them on the premises.

Five Leaves
Nautical themed, Australian, Cocktails
18 Bedford Ave., Williamsburg; 646 510 6467
Open for b,l,d until 2 a.m.

Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: MilAn on September 20, 2008, 09:49:27 am
Encounter/Heath tribute:

Quote
I met Heath Ledger in 2000. I was working on From Hell and he was shooting A Knights Tale which were both being shot in and around Prague.

It was one of the best and worst times of my life - I was in a Hollywood movie, shooting scenes with Johnny Depp and Robbie Coltrane but behind all the glitz and the glamour there was a sour taste to the whole experience: I (unlike many of the other actors working on the film), had been out in Prague for nearly three months, it was lonely living out of a hotel room and I had terrible anxiety and self doubt with regards to my part in the movie itself - coupled with some unpleasant incidents on set, I felt very isolated and vulnerable.

One evening during that time, some of the actors from my film had arranged to meet some of the actors from the other film at a night spot in Prague and I happened to be in that very same bar when they arrived. Out of everyone who was there, it was Heath who asked me if I would like to join their party, some of the guys had said hello to me when they arrived and Heath had deduced I must have been working on the other film and that I was on my own.

I had a really great time that night, and on a couple occasions Heath invited me over to his apartment to hang out with his friends. It was on one of those occasions that this photo was taken. Heath had discovered that I was an artist and that I was also a photographer and he had with him an old bashed up camera which he handed to me and asked if I wouldn't mind taking some shots of him and Heather Graham.

That will be my enduring memory of him - how he was completely genuine and his startling kindness - he made me feel included when I had been excluded and made my memories of Prague a great deal happier than they might have been... I can't imagine how devastated the people who knew him well must be.

I wanted to share this with the dA community as it's been reported that far right extremists intend to picket and disrupt his funeral. Know this, Heath Ledger was a good person, a kind person: please don't let anyone persuade you otherwise. His loss should be mourned, not mocked.

http://nottheredbaron.deviantart.com/art/Heath-and-Heather-75602428 (http://nottheredbaron.deviantart.com/art/Heath-and-Heather-75602428)
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Love on September 20, 2008, 02:49:25 pm
This was written by a former teacher of Heath, two days after he died.

Carpe Diem: In the Shadow of Death, Is Life Passing You By?

I have been in a strange place the last few days.

As a teacher at Heath Ledger’s school when he was no more than a bright face at the back of a classroom, I have been deeply and profoundly touched by his death.

In my eternally countrified home town Heath is an almost mythical creature - the down-to-earth boy who somehow sprouted wings and soared all the way to Hollywood, a la the Peter Pan of his youthful acting days.

I can say that there is a pall over the city today.

And while we do not mourn the daily passing of any other residents of our city any the less, there is something very wrong about such a bright young star plummeting back to earth.

Death should not visit one who seems to stand so tall. It should nip at his heels and be jostled aside as he leaps and bounds through his abundant life.

And it is in that realisation that death touches us all.

For if life can pass by the Heath Ledgers of the world, what about the rest of us with our feet firmly rooted in the earth?

Does your life pass you by, camouflaged by the little things that have no place in the epic stories of our world?

I remember the anticipation with which I viewed the world at the age of 28.

Are the dreams and hopes any dimmer since those days?

And so in the shadow of death a little perspective returns…

Carpe diem!

For if ever a school boy taught us to seize the day it is Heath Ledger.

Life is short, but it can be very sweet and even those of us from small, quiet places can soar high and far.

Deepest condolences to the Ledger family and many thanks for letting us bask in the brightness of your cherished son.

http://outfitinspirations.com/blog/carpe-diem-in-the-shadow-of-death-is-life-passing-you-by/
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Love on September 25, 2008, 08:12:55 am
Scholarship in Ledger’s honour will give new talent a leg up
25th September 2008, 12:45 WST

A scholarship named in Heath Ledger’s honour will give an Australian actor a shot at making it big in Hollywood.

Los Angeles-based entertainment organisation, Australians in Film, and Ledger’s family unveiled details of the Heath Ledger Scholarship today.

“As a result of this scholarship, a talented Australian actor will gain valuable assistance to support their personal goals and an opportunity for recognition in the very tough US film industry,” Ledger’s father, Kim Ledger, said.

read the entire story here:

http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=5&ContentID=99668
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Brown Eyes on September 25, 2008, 12:02:58 pm
Scholarship in Ledger’s honour will give new talent a leg up
25th September 2008, 12:45 WST

A scholarship named in Heath Ledger’s honour will give an Australian actor a shot at making it big in Hollywood.

Los Angeles-based entertainment organisation, Australians in Film, and Ledger’s family unveiled details of the Heath Ledger Scholarship today.

“As a result of this scholarship, a talented Australian actor will gain valuable assistance to support their personal goals and an opportunity for recognition in the very tough US film industry,” Ledger’s father, Kim Ledger, said.

read the entire story here:

http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=5&ContentID=99668


Thanks for bringing this to our attention Love. :)

Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Love on September 29, 2008, 01:12:28 pm
Heath's dark night
Brian J. Robb

September 28, 2008 12:00am

He was one of Australia's brightest moviestars, but beneath the surface, Heath Ledger was in turmoil. A new book about the actor's life delves into the secrets surrounding his death

 http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24413112-5006023,00.htm
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Love on September 29, 2008, 01:12:59 pm
from imdb.com

Michelle Donates To Ledger Fund

25 September 2008 6:30 PM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Michelle Williams has pledged a donation to the scholarship fund set up in her late ex-boyfriend Heath Ledger's name.

The Australians in Film Heath Ledger Scholarship will help up-and-coming Australian actors pursue careers in America.

It was set up after Ledger's death from an accidental drug overdose in January.

Wannabes can apply for up to $10,000 (GBP5,400) plus a round-trip airfare from down under to the U.S.

Williams - the mother of Ledger's two-year-old daughter Matilda - is among the first donors, having handed over an undisclosed sum, reports People.com.

Ledger's friend, director Gregor Jordan, will be one of a five person panel, who get to hand out the money.

He tells People, "Broke Aussie actors in L.A. form a tradition that goes all the way back to Errol Flynn.

"Heath was definitely part of that tradition and this scholarship is something he would have been proud to have his name associated with."

The star's father Kim adds of the fund, "We as a family are pleased with the establishment and progress of the Aif scholarship award named in honour of our much loved and generous son, Heath. As a result of this scholarship, a talented Australian actor will gain valuable assistance to support their personal goals, and an opportunity for recognition in the very tough U.S. film industry."
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Love on September 29, 2008, 01:13:29 pm
11:39 AM - Ledger’s Life Insurance Co: Suicide = No Cash

Posted Sep 29th 2008 4:59AM by TMZ Staff

The company that wrote Heath Ledger's $10 million life insurance policy is being sued after claiming the actor's death might have been a suicide, even though officials concluded it was accidental. Lawyers for Ledger's daughter say it's a transparent ploy to avoid paying the money.

ReliaStar Life Insurance Company wrote the policy in June 2007 -- six months before Ledger died. The beneficiary of the policy is a trustee who would hold the money for 2-year-old Matilda.

Instead of paying the $10 mil, ReliaStar set out to investigate whether Ledger took his own life, despite the fact that the New York City Medical Examiner ruled the death accidental.

TMZ has obtained a lawsuit, filed by Matilda's trustee, claiming ReliaStar (owned by ING Americas) has acted in bad faith by not promptly paying the $10 million and by wrongfully prying into the life of Heath Ledger after his death.

Sources say lawyers for the insurance company have claimed Ledger's death was "suspicious" -- possibly suicide, which would nullify the policy. The company alleges in its answer to the lawsuit, "ReliaStar is entitled to investigate Plaintiff's claim to determine if the 'Suicide' provision is applicable." That provision states, "If the Insured commits suicide ... we will pay only the amount of premiums paid to us."

ReliaStar's lawyers have informed Matilda's lawyers they intend to take the depositions of Mary-Kate Olsen, as well as the masseuse who was at Ledger's home when he died, Ledger's colleagues on his last film, his agents, doctors, psychologists and others. Lawyers for Matilda believe the insurance company is trying to scare and shame them into submission. They believe ReliaStar is trying to drag the process out, for what could be years, to avoid paying the money.

We're also told ReliaStar believes Ledger may have lied on two questions on his insurance application -- specifically, whether he was taking prescription drugs when he filled out the application and whether he ever used illegal drugs.

In its answer to the lawsuit, ReliaStar claims it can contest the policy if Ledger lied on the application and it was a "material misrepresentation." Sources tell us Ledger had a prescription for Ambien when he filled out the application, but Ambien was not in his system when he died, nor were any illegal drugs.

Lawyers for Matilda's trust claim ReliaStar is flagrantly violating California law, which prohibits insurance companies from re-examining insurance applications after the policyholder dies. In the lawsuit, Matilda's lawyers say they received a letter from ReliaStar, asking them to identify "all physicians who attended to [Ledger] and all hospitals or institutions where [he] was treated since 1996." Matilda's lawyers say the request blatantly violates the law.

An official for ReliaStar told TMZ, "No decision has been made on the claim." But lawyers for Matilda's trust believe ReliaStar should have already paid and, according to the suit, is acting "maliciously, fraudulently and/or oppressively ... depriving plaintiff of the insurance policy benefits."
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Love on October 01, 2008, 06:42:45 am
Joker No 2 on all-time movie characters
1st October 2008, 8:00 WST

Heath Ledger's haunting Joker has been voted as the second greatest movie character of all time behind Indiana Jones, in a new poll.

Out on Wednesday in Empire Magazine, the list of the top 100 characters sees Darth Vader, Captain Jack Sparrow and Hannibal Lecter round out the top five.

Empire Editor Rod Yates said it was no surprise that Indiana Jones, played by Harrison Ford, took the top spot, but said the late Ledger's Joker in the Dark Knight was also impressive.

More than 80 per cent who voted for the Joker chose Ledger's interpretation over Jack Nicholson's, the magazine said,

Its defining moment was: "Ledger's Joker taunting Batman in the interrogation room - You're just a freak like me".

"A fitting tribute to a much-missed actor," Yates said.



http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=5&ContentID=100525
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: MilAn on October 02, 2008, 09:34:57 pm
Simon Pegg:
Quote
British funnyman SIMON PEGG was left stunned and "humbled" after meeting HEATH LEDGER, when the late star revealed he was a fan.
Pegg and his wife were mingling at the BAFTA Awards in Britain, when Ledger was nominated for Brokeback Mountain - and he was thrilled when the American made his way over to him to say hello.
The Hot Fuzz star recalls, "My wife loved Brokeback Mountain and said, 'Please introduce me to Heath Ledger,' and I'm like, 'I'm not gonna bother him. He gets bothered enough.' I was gonna have to go, 'Hello Heath, this is my wife,' which I was nervous about doing.
"That evening I felt a tap on my shoulder and I turned around and it was Heath Ledger and his wife (girlfriend Michelle Williams). He said, 'I really liked Shaun of The Dead,' and I felt so humbled by that because he's such a massive star and he actually bothered to do that.
"It left me with such a good impression of him, which made his death even more awful after having that moment with him and meeting such a gracious person."
Pegg only wishes that every big star was like Ledger: "There's a lot of ego in this business and some people sometimes don't want you to know that you like them. I'm not like that. I do go up to people and tell them they're great. It's a relief sometimes when you go up to somebody to say hello and they know who you are; it just takes the edge off it."

 http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/pegg%20humbled%20by%20ledger%20meeting_1082149 (http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/pegg%20humbled%20by%20ledger%20meeting_1082149)


Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Love on October 10, 2008, 03:24:47 pm
 Wednesday, October 08, 2008
     

3:31 PM - MATILDA MAY BECOME ONE OF THE WORLD’S WEALTHIEST GIRLS

by ENTERTAINMENT AND SHOWBIZ! Posted on October 7, 2008

Heath ledger's daughter Matilda may become world's wealthiest girl if she
wins75 million court battle over the late actor's life insurance.

Heath's lawyer John LaViolette has sued the American ReliaStar Life Insurance
company, as the firm has refused to pay out the 12.5 million dollar policy the
'Brokeback Mountain' star took out last June - seven months before his death.

William Shernoff, representing LaViolette, said the company was wrongfully
prying into Ledger's life to stall paying up.

"The money belongs to Matilda," the Daily Telegraph quoted Shernoff, as saying.

LaViolette would hold the money for Matilda until she turns 18. Neither
Michelle nor Heath's family is involved in the legal action. (ANI)
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Love on October 16, 2008, 05:36:25 pm
imdb.com

A long time passed since 10 Things I Hate About You hit the big screen. Julia Stiles got Bourne, Joseph Gordon-Levitt has become a powerhouse on the indie scene, and Heath Ledger ... we know what became of him. I'm guessing that his death and reminiscing moments about his work is what inspired this next piece of news: Ace Showbiz reports that ABC Family is going to make the Shakespeare-inspired film into a television series, with the film's director, Gil Junger, signed on to helm the pilot. In it, Kate and Bianca Stratford will face "their new high school environment." I don't know if that means freshman hitting the big leagues, or the girls moving to a new zip code, but I can only hope that they come up with a new love interest for Kate. There's only one Patrick Verona.

Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: southendmd on October 16, 2008, 06:34:19 pm
imdb.com

A long time passed since 10 Things I Hate About You hit the big screen. Julia Stiles got Bourne, Joseph Gordon-Levitt has become a powerhouse on the indie scene, and Heath Ledger ... we know what became of him. I'm guessing that his death and reminiscing moments about his work is what inspired this next piece of news: Ace Showbiz reports that ABC Family is going to make the Shakespeare-inspired film into a television series, with the film's director, Gil Junger, signed on to helm the pilot. In it, Kate and Bianca Stratford will face "their new high school environment." I don't know if that means freshman hitting the big leagues, or the girls moving to a new zip code, but I can only hope that they come up with a new love interest for Kate. There's only one Patrick Verona.




Amen, sister!

(http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q186/southendmd/10things.gif)

Can't take my eyes off of you.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Love on October 20, 2008, 08:32:07 am
Heath Ledger & Peter Finch

Like Heath lived in Australia,was considered for a posthumously oscar and shooted 2 gay movies :"Sunday bloody sunday" and "The trials of Oscar Wilde".

(http://nsa03.casimages.com/img/2008/10/20/081020022148329135.jpg)(http://nsa03.casimages.com/img/2008/10/20/08102002222490176.jpg) (Peter in "Sunday bloody sunday")

(http://nsa03.casimages.com/img/2008/10/20/081020022409494897.jpg) (Heath in "Brokeback mountain")

Piece found on imdb .com

"Three decades before the controversy over Brokeback Mountain (2005) losing the Best Picture Academy Award to Crash (2004/I), there was a similar controversy involving Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971), one of the first openly and unapologetically gay-themed motion pictures, and the macho police-thriller The French Connection (1971), after the awarding of the Oscars for 1971. Many at the time thought that The French Connection (1971) was not a worthy winner, and that its victory came at the expense of A Clockwork Orange (1971), a highly controversial movie that was recognized as a masterpiece while simultaneously condemned for its depiction of "ultra-violence." However, it was the Best Actor Award that was evocative of the Brokeback Mountain (2005) controversy. As one of the three stars of Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971), Finch won the first of his two Best Actor Academy Award nominations for playing a gay doctor involved in a love triangle with a bisexual man and a straight woman. Finch inherited the role from Alan Bates who wanted to do it but couldn't due to his being held up filming The Go-Between (1970); and after replacement, actor Ian Bannen was fired at the beginning of shooting for balking over a simulated sex sequence. This film brought Finch the best reviews of his film career up to that point. It has been revealed that "officially," Bannen was sacked due to the deleterious effect his anxiety over portraying a homosexual who would be involved in the first screen kiss between two men in a major, mainstream motion picture had on his acting. Finch took the role and kissed his co-star Murray Head as part of his characterization and won an Academy Award nomination. Many observers believe that Finch lost the Oscar to eventual winner Gene Hackman because of the gay kiss. For playing the role brilliantly, Finch won the BAFTA and National Society of Film Critics Awards prizes for Best Actor, though Hackman won the prestigious New York Film Critics Circle Award and beat Finch out for the Golden Globe. Some observers believe that Finch's posthumous win for Network (1976) five years later was one of those fabled "Make Up" awards bestowed by the Academy to make up for past wrongs, such as James Stewart's 1941 win for The Philadelphia Story (1940) to make up for a year earlier, when his Mr. Smith inexplicably lost the gong to Robert Donat's Mr. Chips, or Henry Fonda in 1982 for On Golden Pond (1981) over Burt Lancaster's far-more deserving turn in Atlantic City (1980) to make up for Fonda's own egregious 1941 loss to his pal Stewart when he should have won for Tom Joad in The Grapes of Wrath (1940). Finch's Network (1976) co-star William Holden had been a slight favorite to win his own second Oscar before Finch passed away during the early going in the Oscar campaign season, making it imperative that amends be made immediately. (ironically, Hackman -- the actor who had earlier bested Finch -- turned down one of the lead roles in Network (1976).) The then-reigning Oscar champ, Jack Nicholson -- a Brokeback Mountain (2005) supporter in 2006 -- had been a vocal champion of Finch winning Best Actor honors in 1977 and led the applause at screenings of Network (1976) intended to boost Finch's chances of copping the award. He did, and went down in Academy Award history as the first, and so far only, posthumous winner of an acting Oscar." :)
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Love on October 21, 2008, 05:34:10 pm
Spike TV's 'Scream 2008'

'The Dark Knight' Tops The Competition With Twelve Trophies

in particular Heath has won :
BEST ACTOR IN A FANTASY MOVIE
OR TV SHOW
-Heath Ledger; "The Dark Knight"

BEST VILLAIN
- Heath Ledger as The Joker;
"The Dark Knight"

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/legendary-filmmaker-george-lucas-makes/story.aspx?guid={33401F82-634A-4107-834D-95FF07917002}&dist=hppr
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Love on October 24, 2008, 04:34:39 pm
Was Heath Ledger bi-polar?

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,24549236-5001021,00.html
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Love on October 25, 2008, 04:02:23 pm
(http://nsa03.casimages.com/img/2008/10/25/081025094808947740.jpg) (http://www.casimages.com)



directed by Heath Ledger
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Penthesilea on October 26, 2008, 11:49:48 am
Did you make the collage of the pics, Love? It's beautiful.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Love on October 30, 2008, 10:47:51 am
Top-earning dead celebrities
by Peter Hoy; research by Jake Paine, Forbes.com
Tuesday, October 28, 2008

http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/personal-finance/article/forbes/883/top-earning-dead-celebrities

It mentions Heath being number three on the list with his contract for Dark Knight that includes a percentage of the box office and merchandising sales.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Love on October 30, 2008, 10:48:30 am
WA Govt reconsiders Ledger Theatre

Western Australia's Premier Colin Barnett has confirmed the Government is
considering scrapping plans to name a new theatre in Northbridge after the late
Perth-born actor Heath Ledger.

Ledger died in a New York apartment in January aged 28.

In July, then premier Alan Carpenter stood beside the late actor's father, Kim,
and announced the performing arts venue would be called the Heath Ledger
Theatre. Mr Ledger said he was honoured and intensely proud.

But Mr Barnett says the local arts community is divided over the decision.

He says the Government is now considering alternatives.

"He was a young actor who had some great successes, and I have no doubt was
headed for an outstanding career," Mr Barnett said. "But he lost his life at a very
young age, so we never saw the true achievement that Heath Ledger may have
made."

The Opposition's Ben Wyatt says Mr Carpenter has been in touch with Ledger's
father today, who is distressed by the Government's decision.

Mr Wyatt says Mr Barnett should have told the Ledger family that theatre's
name was up for review.

"It would be in the interests of Colin, if he could actually call the family and
perhaps have a better understanding of their sensitivities and the distress that
they're under before he starts going on radio and raising this matter in a public
way," Mr Wyatt said.

"It genuinely distresses me that he [Mr Barnett] could have such callous
disregard for the Ledger family, who've got through an enormous amount of
distress over the loss of Heath," he added.

Mr Barnett says Ledger's memory will be commemorated at the theatre in
someway, it just won't necessarily be named after him.

Mr Wyatt says name should be left to stand.

The theatre is still under construction
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Love on October 30, 2008, 10:49:04 am
'The Dark Knight' Brings Heath Ledger 2008 AFI Awards' Nomination

Through the announcement of L'Oreal Paris 2008 AFI Awards' nominees,
it is unveiled that Heath Ledger, Eric Bana and Nicole Kidman are among
those nominated for the international AFI award.

Heath Ledger's thrilling performance as Batman's psychotic villain, Joker, in 'The
Dark Knight' has brought him recognition from Australian Film Institute. On
Wednesday, October 29 as the Australian Film Institute announced the
nominees for L'Oreal Paris 2008 AFI Awards in Sydney, it was revealed that
the late actor has been listed among the nominees for the international AFI
award.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Penthesilea on October 30, 2008, 04:01:22 pm
'The Dark Knight' Brings Heath Ledger 2008 AFI Awards' Nomination

Through the announcement of L'Oreal Paris 2008 AFI Awards' nominees,
it is unveiled that Heath Ledger, Eric Bana and Nicole Kidman are among
those nominated for the international AFI award.

Heath Ledger's thrilling performance as Batman's psychotic villain, Joker, in 'The
Dark Knight' has brought him recognition from Australian Film Institute. On
Wednesday, October 29 as the Australian Film Institute announced the
nominees for L'Oreal Paris 2008 AFI Awards in Sydney, it was revealed that
the late actor has been listed among the nominees for the international AFI
award.

There's that sting again :(
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: MilAn on October 31, 2008, 05:13:27 am
Quote
Two of Heath Ledger's close friends have revealed how the late Australian actor yearned for friendships with ordinary people as his celebrity status soared.

Jud Mongell, Ledger's business partner in the New York eatery Five Leaves, and tattoo artist Scott Campbell became firm friends with the actor after Ledger's Oscar-nominated performance in Brokeback Mountain.

Campbell had done seven tattoos for Ledger.

"We would all hang out in the West Village, and he was just like the guy with a cigarette," Campbell told the New York Times.

"He loved when anyone would react to him as a normal person. He really appreciated that."

Ledger would give out his cigarettes and strike up a conversation with just about anyone, he said.

But the minute anyone said, 'You're Heath Ledger', the conversation would become stilted, Campbell said.

Ledger, 28, died on January 22 from an accidental overdose of a cocktail of medications. He was found dead in his Soho apartment by a masseuse.

The actor had just completed his last film, The Dark Knight.

In 2005 Ledger and Mongell met at a beach party in Australia and as their friendship developed, they planned an Australia-meets-America cafe bar.

The nautical-themed eaterie, specialising in oysters, opened on September 17, in the Williamsburg district of Brooklyn where Ledger had spent some time.

The area is known for its arts community and ethnic flavours.

"After a while, Heath had all his regular spots around here, and no one would call Page Six (the gossip page of the tabloid New York Post) anymore when he walked in the door, because nobody cared," Campbell told the paper.

"This (the cafe bar) would have been Heath's hangout," Mongell told the Times.

Mongell runs Five Leaves with his wife.

He still refers to Ledger as an equal partner in the business and says Ledger's father, Kim, manages the business finances.

Mongell said the actor took New York to his heart.

"He taught his daughter how to skateboard. He rode his bike over the Williamsburg Bridge. He visited farmers markets. He played chess in Washington Square Park and he brought coffee for the paparazzi," he told the newspaper.

"He was just one of us, man."

http://www.thewest.com.au/aapstory.aspx?StoryName=526796 (http://www.thewest.com.au/aapstory.aspx?StoryName=526796)
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: ifyoucantfixit on October 31, 2008, 12:57:37 pm



      Well what with the three guys that finished "Imaginarium" and all the money he should receive for
TDK, little Matilda should be a very rich little girl.  I am very glad to see that. 
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Love on November 04, 2008, 04:43:36 pm
BARNETT ACCUSED OF CAUSING LEDGERS MORE GRIEF

Tim Clarke
November 4, 2008 - 12:39PM

http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/barnett-accused-of-causing-ledgers-more-grief-20081104-5hdw.html
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Love on November 04, 2008, 04:50:23 pm
NZ pizza chain withdraws Heath Ledger ads

November 3, 2008 - 4:42PM

http://www.theage.com.au/news/entertainment/people/heath-ledger-pizza/2008/11/03/1225560725515.html
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Love on November 05, 2008, 03:24:24 pm
Dark Knight Fan Cooks Up 'Audacity of Joke'

(http://nsa03.casimages.com/img/2008/11/05/081105082425523558.jpg) (http://www.casimages.com)

A Dark Knight fan mashed two of this year's most-copied visuals to create a cool Election Day image.

James Lillis subbed an image of Heath Ledger's Joker into artist Shepard Fairey's "Hope" poster for Democrat presidential candidate Barack Obama. Lillis calls the resulting image "The Audacity of Joke."

The inspiration was definitely Dark Knight, not the 2008 presidential election, Lillis said in an e-mail interview.

"I don't get inspired by elections," he said. "Democracy is overrated."

Ledger's performance, on the other hand, spurred Lillis into action.

"Heath Ledger's Joker will have to go down as one of the all-time great movie villains," said Lillis, a 32-year-old professional speaker from Brisbane, Australia. "

Having watched his scenes over a few times, you'll find there's a lot more to the character than you first assume. His logic is actually quite consistent!

"At the risk of getting too philosophical, he comes across as some demonic spawn of Nietzsche and post-modernism. Which is why everyone has such a hard time understanding him -- he rejects popular ideals of rationalism and modernism."

So, who does Lillis think the grease-painted anarchist would support in this year's presidential election?

"Perhaps the Joker would vote, but for very different reasons than your average voter," Lillis said. "I think he would vote for the person he would most like to 'play with.'

However, having said that, the Joker does love to play with politicians with strong moral foundations -- so I really can't see him showing much interest in U.S. politics."
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Penthesilea on November 06, 2008, 01:57:38 pm
Thank you, Love, for continuing to post these items. I appreciate it.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: optom3 on November 06, 2008, 03:05:04 pm
What fascinating articles,  really appreciate you tracking them down and posting them.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Love on November 10, 2008, 05:21:42 pm
Dark Knight And Indiana Jones Lead People's Choice Award Nominations

10 November 2008 11:28 AM, PST | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

The Dark Knight, Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull and Iron Man lead the 35th Annual People's Choice Awards after claiming this year's top nominations.

The three films will battle it out for favourite overall movie and favourite action movie at the viewer-voted awards, with honours being presented in over 40 categories.

Blockbuster stars Robert Downey Jr., Harrison Ford and Will Smith are vying for the title of favourite male movie star at the event, while Christian Bale, Brad Pitt and Mark Wahlberg are paired against each other for favourite leading man.

Bale, Downey Jr. and Smith will also compete for favourite male action star.

Meanwhile the nominees for favourite female movie star include Angelina Jolie, Keira Knightley and Reese Witherspoon.

Anne Hathaway, Kate Hudson and Queen Latifah will compete for the favourite leading lady, while Cate Blanchett, Hathaway and Jolie will vie for the favourite female action star honour.

Comedic actress Queen Latifah is set to host the event, airing live from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on 7 January.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Love on November 12, 2008, 06:53:02 am
Here's a link to vote for The People Choice Awards - http://www.pcavote.com/

( The dark knight is in the nominees)  ;)
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Love on November 12, 2008, 05:09:35 pm
Mayor of Batman sues Nolan and Warner Bros

Wednesday, 12 Nov 2008 10:51

Huseyin Kalkan, a member of the Kurdish Democratic Society party, is suing the makers of box office smash The Dark Knight for allegedly using the name of the Turkish city without permission.

"There is only one Batman in the world," Mr Kalkan said. "The American producers used the name of our city without informing us."

Despite the Caped Crusader having first appeared in comic books in 1939, as well as having featured in television series and four previous feature films, the legal action from the residents of Batman has only come with The Dark Knight soon to pass the $1 billion (£648,369,238) mark at the box office.

Mr Kalkan also claims that the popularity of Nolan's film - it is the second most successful film of all time, after Titanic - was to blame for a series of unsolved murders in Batman.

The Batman Begins sequel's psychological impact on the Turkish oil-producing city was such that the female suicide rate increased, he alleges.

And former residents of Batman have experienced problems when attempting to register businesses abroad, according to the mayor.

He is reportedly gathering evidence to prove his city predates the DC Comics character.

A Warner Bros representative said in a statement the studio is only aware of his claims via media reports and has not seen any "actual legal action".

The Dark Knight is to be re-released in January in a bid to improve its chances of Oscar consideration.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: optom3 on November 12, 2008, 09:39:14 pm
Funnu how the locusts start to swarm, when there is a sniff of big money !!!!!

I despair of humans sometimes. !!!!
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Love on November 16, 2008, 06:19:15 am
Russell Crowe may replace Heath Ledger in ’Dirt Music’

Washington, Nov 12 : Hollywood actor Russell Crowe may replace late actor Heath Ledger in a movie adaptation of a Tim Winton novel. According to website MovieHole, the Gladiator star is in talks with Aussie director Phillip Noyce to step into the shoes of Ledger in a new film titled 'Dirt Music', reports Contactmusic.

The plot of the film revolves around a couple in a loveless relationship.

The Brokeback Mountain star was attached to the film before he died in January (08).

http://www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-44600.html
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Love on November 19, 2008, 03:54:38 pm
Studio unveils plan to secure Oscars for Ledger
19th November 2008, 9:45 WST

The Hollywood studio behind this year’s blockbuster, The Dark Knight, has launched an ambitious campaign to dominate the coming Academy Awards and score Heath Ledger a posthumous Oscar.

Warner Bros this week rolled out its first Oscar specific ad, a "For Your Consideration" poster aimed at members of the Academy as well as voters of the key lead-in award ceremonies, the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild and Directors Guild of America.

Read the entire story at:

http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=5&ContentID=108884
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Love on November 19, 2008, 04:12:44 pm
Ledger, Mirren almost cast in 'Choke'

Chuck Palahniuk has revealed that Heath Ledger was almost cast in the movie adaptation of his novel Choke.

Ledger, who died of an accidental drug overdose in January, was among the actors in line to play sex addict Victor Mancine in Clark Gregg's dark comedy before the role eventually went to Sam Rockwell.

Palahniuk confessed that the actors who were circling the role prior to Rockwell's casting did not appeal to him.

He said: "For a long time it was supposed to be Ryan Gosling, who I couldn't see, and for a brief period of time it was supposed to be Heath Ledger, which I wasn't sure about. And so in a way I think it's turned out for the very best."

Palahniuk added that casting Victor's mother Ida Mancini became difficult when Helen Mirren won an Oscar for The Queen.

He explained: "It's the same with the mother character... for a while it was Susan Sarandon and then for a little tiny bit it was Helen Mirren. But then with The Queen, apparently her price went way up and they couldn't afford her anymore!

"But I was very happy with Angelica Huston because I don't think the other two would have looked very Italian."

Choke is released in cinemas this Friday.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Love on November 19, 2008, 04:18:27 pm
Lawyers to sue insurance firm for not paying Heath Ledger’s policy


ReliaStar Life Insurance has decided not to pay the policy until it finds out if 'The Dark Knight' star committed suicide in his rented Manhattan loft in January.

The New York Medical Examiner's Office rules the overdose accidental. Now, the insurance company's investigators are planning to interview actress and owner of the loft Mary-Kate Olsen, the masseuse who found Ledger's lifeless body, doctors who treated the movie star, and some of his co-stars

Matilda's lawyer William Shernoff said that the delay in payment was contributing to the stress suffered by the actor's family

Shernoff said that he would pursue significant punitive damages from ReliaStar that could amount to 'tens of millions of dollars'.

"They are causing a lot of emotional distress to the family so we are going to go after the insurance company with both barrels," the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Shernoff, as saying.

http://www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-48508.html
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Love on November 22, 2008, 04:25:03 pm
Ledger's family slams 'false' biography

Mex Cooper, Daile Pepper
November 21, 2008 - 4:31PM

Heath Ledger's family has slammed a book written about the dead Australian actor that suggests he was mentally ill.

Ledger's family released a statement this afternoon slating the unauthorised biography, titled Heath: A Family's Tale.

The statement said author and News Limited journalist Janet Fife-Yeomans had falsely insinuated close family members had spoken to her.

Fife-Yeomans interviewed Ledger's uncle Hadyn, who is estranged from the family.

He tells the author about his own bipolar diagnosis and friends tell of their suspicions about the actor's mental health before he died of an accidental drug overdose.

The book suggests a family history of mental illness and has sparked worldwide media reports that Ledger could have suffered from bipolar disorder.

Ledger's immediate family, close friends and associates moved today to distance themselves from the book, they said contained false allegations about the actor's father, Kim.

"The book contains gross inaccuracies, false allegations (against Kim Ledger) and many incorrect and unsubstantiated comments about Heath in his youth, provided by estranged family members and some people who had little to do with Heath's life,'' the statement said.

"Further, Fife-Yeomans has no right to infer that we (as Heath's family) in any way authorised this book.

"We have never contributed to or authorised any publications about our son.''

Ledger, 28, was found dead in his New York apartment in January.

The book has been touted by publisher Murdoch Books as a "definitive look at the real life of Heath Ledger from childhood to fully fledged stardom, with exclusive personal insights from his family and friends''.

The Age was seeking comment from Murdoch Books at the time of publication.

This story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/11/21/1226770725826.html
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Brown Eyes on November 24, 2008, 05:23:46 pm
Ledger's family slams 'false' biography

Mex Cooper, Daile Pepper
November 21, 2008 - 4:31PM

Heath Ledger's family has slammed a book written about the dead Australian actor that suggests he was mentally ill.

Ledger's family released a statement this afternoon slating the unauthorised biography, titled Heath: A Family's Tale.

The statement said author and News Limited journalist Janet Fife-Yeomans had falsely insinuated close family members had spoken to her.

Fife-Yeomans interviewed Ledger's uncle Hadyn, who is estranged from the family.

He tells the author about his own bipolar diagnosis and friends tell of their suspicions about the actor's mental health before he died of an accidental drug overdose.

The book suggests a family history of mental illness and has sparked worldwide media reports that Ledger could have suffered from bipolar disorder.

Ledger's immediate family, close friends and associates moved today to distance themselves from the book, they said contained false allegations about the actor's father, Kim.

"The book contains gross inaccuracies, false allegations (against Kim Ledger) and many incorrect and unsubstantiated comments about Heath in his youth, provided by estranged family members and some people who had little to do with Heath's life,'' the statement said.

"Further, Fife-Yeomans has no right to infer that we (as Heath's family) in any way authorised this book.

"We have never contributed to or authorised any publications about our son.''

Ledger, 28, was found dead in his New York apartment in January.

The book has been touted by publisher Murdoch Books as a "definitive look at the real life of Heath Ledger from childhood to fully fledged stardom, with exclusive personal insights from his family and friends''.

The Age was seeking comment from Murdoch Books at the time of publication.

This story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/11/21/1226770725826.html

All this sensationalism and misinformation really is too bad.  One thing I find kind of disheartening about this report and the family's reaction is the sense that they feel that a diagnosis of bi-polar disorder would be somehow shameful or a stigma.  I mean, if Heath really wasn't bi-polar, then it's a good idea to stop the spread of false information.  But, the idea that someone might be bi-polar isn't really a put down.  It's an illness like any other illness and shouldn't involve judgment.

Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: southendmd on November 24, 2008, 05:40:55 pm
All this sensationalism and misinformation really is too bad.  One thing I find kind of disheartening about this report and the family's reaction is the sense that they feel that a diagnosis of bi-polar disorder would be somehow shameful or a stigma.  I mean, if Heath really wasn't bi-polar, then it's a good idea to stop the spread of false information.  But, the idea that someone might be bi-polar isn't really a put down.  It's an illness like any other illness and shouldn't involve judgment.



Well said, Amanda!
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: optom3 on November 24, 2008, 11:02:27 pm
Well said, Amanda!

Well my bipolar self and son are going to agree with that.It is nothing to be ashamed of. If it is untrue then that should be rectified certainly.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: opinionista on November 25, 2008, 10:38:20 am
All this sensationalism and misinformation really is too bad.  One thing I find kind of disheartening about this report and the family's reaction is the sense that they feel that a diagnosis of bi-polar disorder would be somehow shameful or a stigma.  I mean, if Heath really wasn't bi-polar, then it's a good idea to stop the spread of false information.  But, the idea that someone might be bi-polar isn't really a put down.  It's an illness like any other illness and shouldn't involve judgment.

I agree. However, the practice of some magazines or journalists to ask "experts" to give an opinion over a celebrity's behavior and make a diagnosis without actually treating them, bothers me a lot. It puts a lot of stigma over certain diseases that the person in question may not even have.

People get depressed or behave funny for a wide range of reasons, not necessarily because of an illness. Life isn't easy for anybody, including celebrities. In Heath's case he was probably depressed at the time of his death because of his break up with Michelle. Breakups hurt. Everybody gets depressed over a breakup. But that doesn't mean Heath was bipolar or committed suicide. I think whoever wrote that did it to get people buy the book.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Mikaela on November 25, 2008, 05:53:45 pm
The awards season is getting under way. Which means there may be more tributes for Heath and his Joker, either in the form of nominations, or actual awards.

Yesterday, Heath's dad accepted theGQ Actor of the Year Award on his son't behalf.  Further info about the award and about Mr. Ledger's acceptance speech at the llink. 

http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/story/0,26278,24708144-5013560,00.html


(Cross-posted from the HeathHeathHeath thread on Meryl's request.  :) )
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: MilAn on December 05, 2008, 12:44:50 pm
Quote
THERE is a scene in the new Hollywood blockbuster Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke finds impossible to watch without shedding a tear.

Tears rolled down her face when she shot the scene. Again in the quiet and darkness of the editing booth.

The emotional trigger has nothing to do with the storyline of Twilight or the acting by the young cast.

The scene takes place in a rugged, forest region of Oregon in the US north-west and it was while scouting the location on January 22 that Hardwicke heard her beloved friend, Heath Ledger, was dead.

"We were in a van scouting," Hardwicke, her eyes moistening again and hands trembling slightly, told AAP during an interview in a suite in Los Angeles' Beverly Wilshire Hotel.
"Someone's phone rang. They answered it and I instantly realised something was wrong with the reaction.

"It was very strange. The person said: 'OK, I won't say anything'.

"I said: 'What was that about?' and they said: 'We don't even know if it is true. There's rumours Heath has passed away'.

"Then one second later my cell phone rang and it didn't stop ringing."

Hardwicke, a 53-year-old California director whose breakthrough was the 2003 independent drama, Thirteen, cast Ledger as the lead of her 2005 film, Lords of Dogtown, set on the Los Angeles beaches of Santa Monica and Venice.

The director soon received confirmation the rumours were true.

Ledger had died from an accidental overdose of prescription painkillers and anti-depressants in his Manhattan apartment.

"Everybody who worked on Dogtown called because they all loved Heath," Hardwicke said.

"To all of the kids, Emile Hirsch and Victor Rasuk, Heath was their mentor. They all freaked out beyond despair.

"For me, I can't really watch the one scene in Twilight where I received that call.

"That's where I heard that news. It is my one little thing. My moment.

"To hear about someone you love, someone so magical, passing like that, was just crushing."

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,24755211-5003420,00.html (http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,24755211-5003420,00.html)
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Meryl on December 05, 2008, 12:58:14 pm
Oh dear, MilAn, that is just too sad for words.  :'(
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: LauraGigs on December 05, 2008, 02:21:57 pm
Here's kind of a happier Heath "tribute" (I see it as a tribute, anyway...  8) )

 I picked up the "Election Issue" of MAD Magazine because it did a satire of The Dark Knight.  There's a panel in which the Joker is dangling Rachel (Maggie G) out a skyscraper window. They drew him with a golden Oscar sticking out of his pocket!

(And he asks, "didn't I go camping with your brother once"?)
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Meryl on December 05, 2008, 02:23:53 pm
Here's kind of a happier Heath "tribute" (I see it as a tribute, anyway...  8) )

 I picked up the "Election Issue" of MAD Magazine because it did a satire of The Dark Knight.  There's a panel in which the Joker is dangling Rachel (Maggie G) out a skyscraper window. They drew him with a golden Oscar sticking out of his pocket!

(And he asks, "didn't I go camping with your brother once"?)

That's funny!  Is that out on the stands now, or am I too late?
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Love on December 05, 2008, 02:28:39 pm
December 5, 2008 --

THE rental listing of the SoHo apartment where Heath Ledger accidentally overdosed has been pulled without a taker willing to cough up $26,000 per month. The Post's Braden Keil reports the three-bedroom loft at 419 Broome St., which was officially relisted in late July after Ledger died there last January, couldn't attract a tenant - most likely because of its spooky provenance and a cooling high-end rental market. 4,400-square-foot pad is "temporarily off the market."
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: LauraGigs on December 05, 2008, 02:33:13 pm
That's funny!  Is that out on the stands now, or am I too late?

I don't know!  I got it at the airport, around Thanksgiving.  So it's either still on stands, or one issue back.  The cover has Alfred E. Neuman in the Red/Light blue/Navy Barak Obama motif.
 8)

(You can order back issues from MAD, I believe. You can get the one with the Brokeback Mountain satire while you're at it!)
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Meryl on December 05, 2008, 03:07:54 pm
I don't know!  I got it at the airport, around Thanksgiving.  So it's either still on stands, or one issue back.  The cover has Alfred E. Neuman in the Red/Light blue/Navy Barak Obama motif.
 8)

(You can order back issues from MAD, I believe. You can get the one with the Brokeback Mountain satire while you're at it!)

Good idea!  Thanks, Laura.  :-*
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Monika on December 05, 2008, 06:40:34 pm
Meet Scott Campbell
December 3, 2008 on 4:03 pm | In -Yale Breslin, Art, Other-NewMedia |
Scott Campbell, a Brooklyn based tattoo artist, recently compiled some of his archived work (both past and present) to create a book of his accomplishments to date. With the help of friend Terry Richardson (who managed to shoot some of his subjects and their ink) - Campbells book will consist of a working collective of his career, thus far. By lending his craft to the skin of Marc Jacobs and Heath Ledger, Campbell provided me with 2 never before seen shots of Ledger himself showcasing his recent body art. For an in-depth Q+A….read below.


(Scott Campbell in his studio. Photo by Todd Selby)

You recently collaborated with photographer Terry Richardson to showcase individuals such as Lily Cole and Marc Jacobs whose bodies you have inked. How did this collaboration come about?
For the past 6 months, I’ve been pulling together images of my work for a book I’m putting out. Everything from tattoos and drawings for tattoos, to paintings and sculptures. I feel like when people talk about tattoos, they often refer to their permanence, but as an artist, tattooing can be a frustratingly ephemeral medium. I’ve been tattooing for 11 years, and of the thousands of tattoos I’ve done in that time, all I really have to show for it is a handful of poorly lit photos of body parts, and some amusing anecdotes. In order to have some more substantial documentation of my work, I organized a photo shoot at the studio, and Terry agreed to take photos. I’ve been a fan of Terry’s work for a long time, and I’m honored that he was interested in taking pictures for it.



Tell us a little bit about Saved Tattoo. What does it mean to you?
It’s funny, a lot of people assume that “Saved” carries religious connotations, which I don’t really mind. I’m not religious at all, but i grew up in the south around bible beating Baptists, and rattlesnake wielding Pentecostals, so I see a certain nostalgic romance in the association. But really, Saved Tattoo just came from a few friends trying to find a way to put food on the table, without having to sacrifice our dreams. Hence, we were “saved” from having to get real jobs.

How did you get involved in the art of tattooing? What differences do you see in the ways of expressing ones self through the art of tattoo vs other mediums?
I love tattooing. Most of my clients inspire the hell out of me. It’s always a satisfying moment when you decide that a painting or drawing is finished and you get to lean back and look at it and consider how you feel about it. It’s a whole different thing when your work jumps out of the chair with tears flowing, and hugs you with all it’s might, thanking you for what you’ve done. It’s pretty amazing. The emotional exchange between a tattooer and client can at times be exhausting, but I am constantly inspired by the people I tattoo. Every client is a different story. A new girlfriends name wrapped around a rose, a picture of a smoking pipe with “Pappy” underneath. The awkward dorky guy who pushes up his glasses and unbuttons his shirt to reveal a giant snarling wolf head staring back at you. Tattooing is a true folk art. As a medium, it did not evolve because of aspirations of artistic integrity, it evolved as a craft because people had a visceral need to assert control over their physical being. Maybe it’s borneo tribesmen getting tattooed as a rite of passage into manhood, and their society recognizes that they earned those tattoos, and they pay him the respect that they command. Or a a 16 year old kid in a garage who hand-pokes the Misfit skull into his arm because with all the severity of adolescence weighing upon him, he found truth in a punk band. As an artist, tattooing is an amazing medium because whatever the image or message, the emotion that the tattoo carries is amplified by knowing that that image is a part of someone. It is a part of a larger story. When working in other mediums, I only hope that the grit and romance of tattooing carries over. I’ve carved little stories into the skin of thousands of people. Whether it’s with needles or brushes, it’s always about storytelling. These hands don’t know how to do much else.

Most memorable inking experience to date?
There’s no way I could ever crown one tattoo experience as the most memorable. There are so many stories that are are precious to me for different reasons. Some were sweet and endearing, others we’re horrifying, and I’m glad to have survived them. I covered up a tattoo that a Russian soldier received against his will in an underground prison cell 30 years ago, after being captured by Afghani soldiers. He had never showed that tattoo to anyone other than his wife and I. I had a cracked out tweeker storm into the shop and try to slit my throat because he thought I had put subliminal penis’s in his tattoo. I’ve tattooed supermodels and Hells Angels. I’ve been humbled by the honor of tattooing memorial tattoos on Heath Ledger’s mother, father and sisters at his house the night before his memorial services. I’ve sat in a shop in Ibiza on an August afternoon tattooing an endless line of sunburnt and drunk English tourists….. to even mention these stories without elaborating is almost an injustice…. how many pages do you have for this interview?

 

Approximately, how many different tattoos have you given during your career?
Wow, I don’t know how I would calculate that…. I’ve tried to estimate at a number…. 3 to 5 tattoos a day… 6 days a week for 10 years….. minus a few days for travelling…. I think a more accurate measure would be all the weird bumps on my knuckles and callouses on my hands from so many hours of holding that machine… or the spot on the bottom of the steel machine that’s been worn smooth by years of rubbing against the top of my hand… those say more than a number.

You are cited as being the official tattoo artist of Marc Jacobs, an individual recognized for his fashion career as well as his unique choice of tattoos. Is it a collaborative effort working with him? What’s the experience like from idea formulation to ink execution?
Ha! I wouldnt call myself his “official” tattoo artist. You could say that I’ve done most of Marc’s tattoos, and I am certainly honored that he places such confidence in me, but I think part of what makes Marc such a powerful creative force, is how comprehensive and open his tastes are. I don’t think he would ever have an “official” anything. What continually impresses me about Marc is his ability to approach anything; a painting, a pair of shoes, a photograph, a tattoo, even people he meets, completely objectively, and without any pre-judgements. He will look at something, take it in, and give a sincere emotional reaction to it. It sounds like such a simple thing, but it’s so rare to find people that have the energy to see things like he does. With as much stimulus as the world throws at us, it’s so easy to get lazy and start categorizing things and forming generalized opinions. It’s exhausting to give everything we experience such thorough consideration, untainted by judgement. I’ve learned a lot about an artists responsibility to be honest. Even if it’s impossible, we are obligated to try to give everything our untainted consideration. Even artistic works that one might consider distasteful are valid, because it is someone’s voice, and the uniqueness of each persons voice deserves an honest audience. I’ve seen paintings that I dislike so much that I can’t even look at them. Although I would never hang it in my house, I still have to respect the fact that the artist, deliberately or accidentaly, succeeded in smearing pigment on a piece of paper, and pulling an emotional reaction out of me with it. I might not like the painting, but the fact that the image has the power to incite emotion is amazing, and there is still something for me to learn about myself from that painting.

 

Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Love on December 08, 2008, 09:49:19 am
Heath won the AFI awards for International film actor. There were no other contenders. His dad, mom and sister Kate were there to accept the award on behalf of both Heath and for his daughter Matilda

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=xEekfmSdFfs

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,2...5014152,00.html
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Love on December 09, 2008, 12:10:32 pm
Heath Ledger wins top Aussie film award for 'The Dark Knight'
(old news from a different source, with video)
http://goldderby.latimes.com/awards_goldderby/2008/12/heath-ledger-wi.html

Heath Ledger scores first big win of Oscar season
(Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association awarded Heath Best Supporting Actor for Joker)
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/showbiz/2008-12/09/content_7285775.htm

Surge of money for Heath Ledger Oscar
(Online betting has money on Heath winning at about two to one odds)
- not sure if this is appropriate, so moderators, please delete if necessary -
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=688346
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Love on December 10, 2008, 07:49:47 pm
Heath has been nominated for the Critics Choice Awards. They will air Jan 8th 2009 on VH1

http://theenvelope.latimes.com/news/env-2009-critics-choice-awards-list-dec9-html,0,4480931.htmlstory
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Love on December 10, 2008, 07:50:30 pm
Award for Ledger’s Dark Knight role
10th December 2008, 9:15 WST

Australian actor Heath Ledger has received a second posthumous award today, as the Los Angeles Film Critics Association honoured his performance in the Batman blockbuster, The Dark Knight.If Ledger is honoured at February’s Academy Awards, he would be the second posthumous Oscar-winner after Peter Finch, who triumphed in 1976 for his iconic role in Network.

LOS ANGELES
AFP

http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=5&ContentID=112474
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Love on December 11, 2008, 06:24:37 pm
Heath has earned a Golden Globe nomination for his role as the Joker, nominations released this monring. Smiley


Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Nominees:Tom Cruise for Tropic Thunder (2008)

Robert Downey Jr. for Tropic Thunder (2008)

Ralph Fiennes for The Duchess (2008)

Philip Seymour Hoffman for Doubt (2008)

Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight (2008)
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Love on December 12, 2008, 07:28:48 pm
Ledger trumps Obama in Google searches
11th December 2008, 8:15 WST

Late Australian actor Heath Ledger was among the most searched subjects worldwide on Google in 2008, and was ahead of Obama in a global list, the company said.

In a list of Google's "fastest-rising" searches, Ledger, who died in January, came in in fifth place on the global list. He was one place ahead of "Obama", as in US president-elect Barack Obama.

The list was headed, however, by defeated Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

Second was "Beijing Olympics 2008", followed by "Facebook login" and "Tuenti", a Spanish social networking website.

http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=5&ContentID=112630
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Kelda on December 13, 2008, 05:25:07 am
 :'( but  :) at him being no 1 search.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Love on December 15, 2008, 10:45:33 pm
found this on IMDB:

Williams Won't Accept Ledger's Awards
15 December 2008 2:18 PM, PST

 
Heath Ledger's ex-fiancee Michelle Williams has denied she was set to accept any awards the late star wins for his role in The Dark Knight.

Ledger's performance as The Joker - the last movie he completed before his drug overdose death in January - is expected to earn him a clutch of posthumous prizes during the forthcoming awards season.

He is already nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe, and is hotly tipped to become the first posthumous acting Oscar winner since Peter Finch in 1977.

Williams - the mother of Ledger's daughter Matilida - was thought to be among those contending to accept awards on her ex's behalf, along with his father Kim.

But the Brokeback Mountain actress won't be involved. Her representative says, "No discussions have been made for Michelle to accept nor are there any plans to take part."

Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Love on December 15, 2008, 10:46:03 pm
(http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k222/evilkaren/littlepush.jpg)
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: TOoP/Bruce on December 17, 2008, 09:24:05 am
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2008/dec/14/terry-gilliam-remembers-heath-ledger

Heath Ledger
The actor, who died aged 28 on 22 January from an accidental overdose, remembered by the director who was working with him at the time

by Terry Gilliam
The Observer, Sunday 14 December 2008


Heath Ledger. Photograph: Rex Features



Any time I try to describe Heath it becomes a series of clichés, because he was extraordinary and, unfortunately, most of those clichés have already been used up on lesser people.

I met him for the first time in LA around 2001, when we were working on The Brothers Grimm. He was a ball of energy, firing on all cylinders, and he had a magnetic quality. I liked him immediately and even though I hadn't actually seen Heath in anything at that point,

I said to him: 'You're on. Let's do it.'

He was one of those blessed human beings who have the facility to do so many things at the same time. When he wasn't acting, he was directing music videos and supporting young musicians. He was working on the script for a film he was preparing to direct. He had an incredibly artistic side, and he was practically a grand master at chess. That's why, when he died, it was as if half of the world had collapsed.

He died halfway through the film I'm currently making, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. We had finished shooting in London on Saturday night. On Sunday, I went to Vancouver to prepare for the next stage and Heath went to New York. He was supposed to be turning up in Vancouver on the Friday. On Tuesday he was dead.

None of us could deal with it. It was impossible - that was the problem. It was absolutely impossible that this could be a fact. But there it was. I was working in the art department when I heard the news, and we stayed there all afternoon. At sunset, thousands of ravens flew over the window and I thought: those are the ravens from The Brothers Grimm, and they are all going to salute Heath.

In terms of his acting, it still rankles with me that he's dead because he would have been streets ahead of anyone else in his generation. He just kept getting better and better. He was fearless. On Parnassus, he was improvising all the time and it was better than what we had written. I don't normally encourage that kind of improvisation, but in a sense I felt Heath was writing this film. He was an incredibly funny performer when he wanted to be - his comic timing was just extraordinary - and then he could break your heart the next minute.

Usually, with actors, it's all about themselves. But it was never like that with Heath. He was completely supportive of everything else around him. He got better performances out of other actors - he just drew it out of them. He was utterly generous and always aware of everyone else, and he behaved as if there was nothing special about him - he was just a guy.

His physicality was extraordinary, too. I remember Monica Bellucci turning up to make Grimms. She went into the make-up room and Heath's picture was on the wall. She hadn't met him and I don't think she knew exactly who he was, but immediately she went, whoosh, to that picture. That was the kind of attraction Heath had. Women adored him and men loved him.

We've all agreed to call Parnassus 'A film from Heath Ledger and friends' because I don't think it is a Terry Gilliam film. I think it's something that his life and death has created. When he died, I said it was over. We can't carry on. But everybody said, 'You've got to carry on' - for the film, for Heath's last performance. It wasn't possible for any one person to replace him so we made the quantum leap and got three people - Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law. The Holy Trinity. They came in and they pulled it off and I think it works brilliantly.

When he died, there were all these nonsensical stories coming out about Heath Ledger, James Dean and River Phoenix, all destroyed by the system - but that's bullshit. What happened was an absurd accident. I still don't understand it. I know he was exhausted - the last thing he said was that he was so tired and just wanted to sleep. You actually think at certain times angels come down to earth and Heath might have been one of them. And then he's gone and you think: this is all wrong, all the other people should be dead. He should be leading us all into a wonderful world of adventure.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Brown Eyes on December 17, 2008, 02:26:05 pm

Over on the MSNBC website today they have a big "slideshow" feature depicting in memorium portraits of celebrities and important public figures who have passed away this year.  Of course, Heath is part of this set of portraits.
 :'(

Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Penthesilea on December 17, 2008, 04:07:07 pm
Over on the MSNBC website today they have a big "slideshow" feature depicting in memorium portraits of celebrities and important public figures who have passed away this year.  Of course, Heath is part of this set of portraits.
:'(


I'm torn between watching and avoiding all those year-end retrospects these days....
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Penthesilea on December 17, 2008, 04:22:52 pm
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2008/dec/14/terry-gilliam-remembers-heath-ledger

Heath Ledger
The actor, who died aged 28 on 22 January from an accidental overdose, remembered by the director who was working with him at the time

by Terry Gilliam
The Observer, Sunday 14 December 2008

.......

That's why, when he died, it was as if half of the world had collapsed.

Of the nice things people say about Heath, this is a recurring statement. Naturally it's partly caused by the fact that Heath was so young, but still...

Thanks for posting Bruce.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: ifyoucantfixit on December 17, 2008, 04:36:58 pm



     quote from Atz;

     
All this sensationalism and misinformation really is too bad.  One thing I find kind of disheartening about this report and the family's reaction is the sense that they feel that a diagnosis of bi-polar disorder would be somehow shameful or a stigma.  I mean, if Heath really wasn't bi-polar, then it's a good idea to stop the spread of false information.  But, the idea that someone might be bi-polar isn't really a put down.  It's an illness like any other illness and shouldn't involve judgment.


     I concur with total support Amanda.  Its no more or less, sensable than deriding someone for
having blue eyes.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Berit on December 17, 2008, 05:24:12 pm
Thank you Bruce....Terry Gilliam seems like a special guy, and very fond of Heath. Thank you again for posting this, without you and others that post articles I would not be able to read them. I'm lousy on searching the Internet....
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: optom3 on December 17, 2008, 10:39:01 pm
Make that a massive thankyou from me too, Bruce.
 Very hard to read Gilliams words re Heath.I wonder how long the hurt goes on for. I feels such a silly old fool at my age. Heath just touched many raw nerves, while simultaneously, starting a healing process and delivering to me the most wonderful friend, I dd not even know I was looking for, until she arrived.
His words about angels remind me of the Robbie Williams track which I so love.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Brown Eyes on December 18, 2008, 12:14:03 pm

Heath was nominated for a SAG award today! :)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28294974/ (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28294974/)
'Doubt’ tops SAG Awards pack with 5 nods
Streep, Hoffman get acting nominations; Ledger also among nominees


LOS ANGELES - The Catholic school drama “Doubt” led contenders Thursday for the Screen Actors Guild Awards with five nominations, including honors for Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and Viola Davis.

The late Heath Ledger also earned a supporting-actor nomination, whose maniacal turn as the Joker in “The Dark Knight” has made him an Academy Awards front-runner. The Batman blockbuster also had a nomination for best stunt ensemble.

Streep has a lead-actress nomination, while Hoffman, Adams and Davis are competing in supporting categories for “Doubt,” a war-of-wills tale between an old-school nun and a progressive priest.

“Doubt” also has a nomination for overall cast performance, along with the romantic fantasy “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” the Richard Nixon saga “Frost/Nixon,” the gay-rights drama “Milk” and the poor-boy-makes-good tale “Slumdog Millionaire.”

Kate Winslet grabbed two nominations, best actress for the domestic drama “Revolutionary Road” and supporting actress for the Holocaust-themed story “The Reader.”

Other best-actress nominees were: Anne Hathaway, “Rachel Getting Married”; Angelina Jolie, “Changeling”; and Melissa Leo, “Frozen River.”

Nominated for best actor were: Richard Jenkins, “The Visitor”; Frank Langella, “Frost/Nixon”; Sean Penn, “Milk”; Brad Pitt, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”; and Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler.”

The 15th annual SAG Awards will air live on TNT and TBS Jan. 25, four weeks before the Academy Awards.

The SAG picks lined up much the same as last week’s nominations for the Golden Globes, the second-biggest Hollywood film honors after the Academy Awards. The most notable snub was Winslet’s “Revolutionary Road” co-star Leonardo DiCaprio, who had a Globe nomination for dramatic actor but was overlooked by SAG.

The same thing happened the last time Winslet and DiCaprio starred together. SAG nominations for 1997 included a best-actress slot for Winslet in “Titanic,” but DiCaprio was left out of the best-actor lineup.

Oscar nominations that year also excluded DiCaprio, while Winslet earned a spot in the best-actress field.

Joining Adams, Davis and Winslet among supporting-actress picks were Penelope Cruz for “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” and Taraji P. Henson for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” Henson also shared in the cast nomination for “Benjamin Button” and a cast nomination among TV dramas for “Boston Legal.”

Besides Ledger and Hoffman, supporting-actor nominees included Josh Brolin, “Milk”; Robert Downey Jr., “Tropic Thunder”; and Dev Patel, “Slumdog Millionaire.”

Last January’s SAG ceremony took place during a writers’ strike that affected other Hollywood honors, including the Golden Globes, which were canceled. The guild awards come amid fresh labor strife, with SAG leaders now threatening a strike as negotiations with producers over a new actors contract have stalled.

SAG Awards recipients often go on to win Academy Awards. Some years, all four of the top SAG winners later take home Oscars for the same roles, though last year, the guild went only two-for-four.

Daniel Day-Lewis won best actor at SAG and the Oscars for “There Will Be Blood” and Javier Bardem received both supporting-actor prizes for “No Country for Old Men.”

Julie Christie won best actress at SAG for “Away From Her” while the Oscar went to Marion Cotillard for “La Vie En Rose.” Ruby Dee earned the supporting-actress honor from SAG for “American Gangster,” but Tilda Swinton won the Oscar for “Michael Clayton.”

Film and TV nominees were chosen by two groups of 2,100 people randomly chosen from the guild’s 120,000 members. The guild’s full membership is eligible to vote for winners.

The show will include the guild’s life-achievement award for James Earl Jones.

Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Penthesilea on December 18, 2008, 12:25:54 pm
Heath was nominated for a SAG award today! :)


I posted three pics of Heath and Jake at the SAG awards 2006 this morning on HHH. How fitting.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Love on December 18, 2008, 05:07:14 pm
Kim Ledger on accepting Heath’s Golden Globe award if given

THE fuss being created about who will accept Heath Ledger's Golden Globe award posthumously should he win has been settled. Kim Ledger, father of the Golden Globe nominee, called Confidential yesterday to notify us that one of Ledger's The Dark Knight co-stars is expected to accept the actor's award posthumously should Heath for his role as the Joker win in January.

Christian Bale and Morgan Freeman are prime candidates for the job - not Kim and not, it seems, Ledger's ex Michelle Williams.

Ledger Sr also dismissed rumours that he was in a battle with Warner Brothers over who should claim the gong.

He said he would be unable to attend the ceremony due to work commitments in Australia.

http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/story/0,23663,24816702-5013560,00.html?from=public_rss
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Love on December 19, 2008, 10:15:53 pm
Heath has been moninated for the SAG awards

http://www.firstshowing.net/2008/12/18/2009-screen-actors-guild-awards-nominees-announced/
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: TOoP/Bruce on December 20, 2008, 02:39:31 pm
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,24795626-5009160,00.html

N'Fa working on Ledger tribute

By Jonathon Moran
December 14, 2008 12:00am

HEATH Ledger's close friend and creative collaborator N'Fa Forster-Jones is trying to work out how to mark the anniversary of the actor's death.

Ledger, who died of an accidental prescription drug overdose on January 22, directed two video clips from N'Fa's solo album, Cause and Effect. The pair were long-time friends, meeting at age four while growing up in Perth.

``I don't know, sometimes I find things too much to write about so maybe something will happen,'' N'Fa told Insider at last weekend's Homebake festival when asked about the anniversary of Ledger's passing.

``We are trying to work out some sort of celebration. I am tyring to work out all of that, how to deal with it.''

Ledger and N'Fa were in the process of setting up a production company _ called Rocking Chair _ before hisuntimely death.

``Things have kind of changed since his passing,'' he said.

``A lot of things had to fold because it was sort of impossible. So all of us who have, I guess, been left in waiting are all just working out ways forward and trying to be positive and also keep his spirit alive because he was always filling us with energy and positivity.''

Prior to going solo, N'Fa fronted acclaimed hip hop outfit 1200 Techniques. He's spent much of this year travelling the world, working on no less than five albums, the first of which is a project titled Brain Wash.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Mikaela on December 21, 2008, 07:24:26 pm
While languishing in an airport over the weekend I bought the German quality news magazine "Der Spiegel's" 2008 cavalcade issue. It's filled with in-depth articles summarizing the main events of 2008. On the movie front, it singles out Heath and TDK for praise. Over 2 full pages, it concludes that TDK is the film of the year, and that Heath is the star of the year.

The lengthy article goes into the wonder of Heath's acting in TDK particularly and also summarizes his life and career, and moreover analyzes and praises the impact of TDK. There are 3 pictuers - one of Heath and Jake/Ennis and Jack during the dozy embrace, one of Batman and the Joker in the interrogation room, and one of Nicholson's Joker. And though I can't give you the full extremely positive and admiration-filled article, here is a couple of small excerpts.

The article describes Heath's Joker as;

"....ein luziferisch strahlende Verführer, wie man so unheimlich, so gefährlich und zugleich unwiederstehlich ins Kino kaum je einen gesehen hat." (A devilishly magnificent seducer, one so sinister, so dangerous and so irresistible that something similar may never have been seen in cinemas.) 

The article concludes as follows:

..."der Joker wird eine der Super-Rollen bleiben, an die sich so bald keiner anderer wagt." (The Joker will remain one of those "Super-Roles" that no other actor will dare take on for some considerable time to come".)
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Meryl on December 21, 2008, 08:35:33 pm
While languishing in an airport over the weekend I bought the German quality news magazine "Der Spiegel's" 2008 cavalcade issue. It's filled with in-depth articles summarizing the main events of 2008. On the movie front, it singles out Heath and TDK for praise. Over 2 full pages, it concludes that TDK is the film of the year, and that Heath is the star of the year.

The lengthy article goes into the wonder of Heath's acting in TDK particularly and also summarizes his life and career, and moreover analyzes and praises the impact of TDK. There are 3 pictuers - one of Heath and Jake/Ennis and Jack during the dozy embrace, one of Batman and the Joker in the interrogation room, and one of Nicholson's Joker. And though I can't give you the full extremely positive and admiration-filled article, here is a couple of small excerpts.

The article describes Heath's Joker as;

"....ein luziferisch strahlende Verführer, wie man so unheimlich, so gefährlich und zugleich unwiederstehlich ins Kino kaum je einen gesehen hat." (A devilishly magnificent seducer, one so sinister, so dangerous and so irresistible that something similar may never have been seen in cinemas.) 

The article concludes as follows:

..."der Joker wird eine der Super-Rollen bleiben, an die sich so bald keiner anderer wagt." (The Joker will remain one of those "Super-Roles" that no other actor will dare take on for some considerable time to come".)

Very interesting, Mika, thanks.  I have to agree with that very insightful author in Der Spiegel.  :)
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Ellemeno on December 22, 2008, 03:03:46 am
Meet Scott Campbell
December 3, 2008 on 4:03 pm | In -Yale Breslin, Art, Other-NewMedia |
Scott Campbell, a Brooklyn based tattoo artist, recently compiled some of his archived work (both past and present) to create a book of his accomplishments to date.

---------

......I’ve been humbled by the honor of tattooing memorial tattoos on Heath Ledger’s mother, father and sisters at his house the night before his memorial services.



Would like to know more about that.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: loneleeb3 on December 31, 2008, 10:20:13 am
Well, it's all going to start up again, the year end tributes to those we lost.
Not to mention the year anniversary coming up in 23 days.
I'll never forget that day. Someone left me a message on my cell "hey, I heard someone from Brokeback died but I didn't hear who."
What a schmuck to leave me a message like that. Needless to say I found out who and the tears came.
But, they went to. Life goes on but we must always remember those things and people who changed and shaped our lives.
Thank you Ennis for showing me the way, thank you Heath for bringing me Ennis!

(http://entimg.msn.com/i/gal/InMemoriam08/HLedgerHG0474258_502.jpg)

Heath Ledger, Jan. 22, age 28: Ledger's shocking accidental death, from a combination of prescription painkillers, sleeping aids and other medications, cut short a brilliant career -- of which we got glimpses in films like "Brokeback Mountain" and "The Patriot." Ledger's chilling, tormented portrayal of the Joker, in the posthumously released summer blockbuster "The Dark Knight," reminded his fans all over again of the enormous loss of this true talent. Ledger's contested estate was recently settled, with all of it going to his daughter with former fiancée Michelle Williams, Matilda. "To most of the world, Heath was an actor of immeasurable talent and promise," Ledger's father, Kim, said after his death. "We knew Heath as a loving father, as our devoted son, and as a loyal and generous brother and friend."
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Meryl on December 31, 2008, 04:14:39 pm
Well, it's all going to start up again, the year end tributes to those we lost.
Not to mention the year anniversary coming up in 23 days.
I'll never forget that day. Someone left me a message on my cell "hey, I heard someone from Brokeback died but I didn't hear who."
What a schmuck to leave me a message like that. Needless to say I found out who and the tears came.
But, they went to. Life goes on but we must always remember those things and people who changed and shaped our lives.
Thank you Ennis for showing me the way, thank you Heath for bringing me Ennis!

(http://entimg.msn.com/i/gal/InMemoriam08/HLedgerHG0474258_502.jpg)

Heath Ledger, Jan. 22, age 28: Ledger's shocking accidental death, from a combination of prescription painkillers, sleeping aids and other medications, cut short a brilliant career -- of which we got glimpses in films like "Brokeback Mountain" and "The Patriot." Ledger's chilling, tormented portrayal of the Joker, in the posthumously released summer blockbuster "The Dark Knight," reminded his fans all over again of the enormous loss of this true talent. Ledger's contested estate was recently settled, with all of it going to his daughter with former fiancée Michelle Williams, Matilda. "To most of the world, Heath was an actor of immeasurable talent and promise," Ledger's father, Kim, said after his death. "We knew Heath as a loving father, as our devoted son, and as a loyal and generous brother and friend."

That's a beautiful picture, Rich, and a moving tribute.  Thanks, Friend.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: MilAn on January 16, 2009, 09:35:55 am
New tributes by colleagues and friends in Entertainment Weekly:

http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20252991,00.html (http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20252991,00.html)
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Meryl on January 16, 2009, 12:56:03 pm
New tributes by colleagues and friends in Entertainment Weekly:

http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20252991,00.html (http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20252991,00.html)

Wow, that is a super read.  Lots of new insights into how Heath felt about things and how his friends saw him.  I think I might buy that issue of EW.  Thanks, MiLan.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: HerrKaiser on January 16, 2009, 05:00:59 pm
Breathed life to Ennis
Dark autumn clouds came too soon
Joy gone forever
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: MilAn on January 16, 2009, 05:47:25 pm
You are welcome Meryl. I posted the link to the tributes in the "Heath, Heath, Heath" thread as well.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Ellemeno on January 28, 2009, 04:20:28 am
That EW article is pretty darn good.  I learned several things I didn't know.  Thank you, MilAn.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: MilAn on January 29, 2009, 10:44:22 pm
That's what Naomi said about Heath in the new Parade magazine:

Quote
In 2002, while making the Australian film Ned Kelly, Naomi fell in love with co-star Heath Ledger. “I hadn’t really been that familiar with his work,” Naomi recalls. “Then, when I got to the set and did that first scene with him, I was like, ‘Wow! This guy is alive.’ It was just something deep in his eyes. You could look into them, and they would tell a thousand stories in one glance. There was a wonderful mixture of power and fragility at work in everything he did, which just pulls you in. His strength didn’t scare you. It intrigued you. And his fragility touched you.” The couple parted amicably in 2004, separated by the distance of two growing careers, but stayed friends until Heath’s tragic death from an accidental overdose in early 2008. “It’s still incredibly difficult,” Naomi says, her voice trailing off.

http://justjared.buzznet.com/2009/01/29/naomi-watts-parade-magazine-cover/#comments (http://justjared.buzznet.com/2009/01/29/naomi-watts-parade-magazine-cover/#comments)
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Meryl on January 29, 2009, 11:41:00 pm
That's what Naomi said about Heath in the new Parade magazine:

http://justjared.buzznet.com/2009/01/29/naomi-watts-parade-magazine-cover/#comments (http://justjared.buzznet.com/2009/01/29/naomi-watts-parade-magazine-cover/#comments)


That's a beautiful quote, MiLan.  "There was a wonderful mixture of power and fragility at work in everything he did" is so true.  Naomi is a very perceptive woman, and it seems to me she never really got over Heath.  I'm glad she has a family with Liev Schreiber now, though.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: MilAn on February 11, 2009, 09:37:58 pm
Quote
Heath Ledger and his 'gentle way'
Even as a teen-idol, he showed signs of being separate from the pack.
The late Heath Ledger's stunning, almost unrecognizable turn as the Joker in "The Dark Knight" shouldn't have come as a surprise.

It was far from the first time he had transformed himself for a role, whether drastically, as the scruffy skateboarding impresario in "Lords of Dogtown," or subtly, as the repressed, gay cowboy in "Brokeback Mountain." Here, the recollections of some who worked with the supporting actor nominee add detail to a picture of a complex man and challenging artist whose creative fire and generosity of spirit lifted those around him.

"His energy and enthusiasm for life will never cease to inspire me," said Ledger's longtime friend and business partner Matt Amato. "A friend of mine said after Heath died that we must continue in Heath's 'gentle way.' Those words sounded perfect to me -- Heath's gentle way."

From Heath Ledger's American debut in the underrated "Taming of the Shrew" adaptation "10 Things I Hate About You" (1999) through "The Patriot" and the Chaucer-inspired romp "A Knight's Tale," the handsome young actor looked to be on a teen-idol trajectory. But even then, he showed signs of being separate from the pack.

"I was intimidated by how worldly wise he seemed to be and how much he understood himself," said Jason Isaacs, who played the sadistic Col. Tavington in "Patriot." "He took a house in the forest while we all lived together in a condo. Like many in my profession, I seem to need company and to fill the silence with noise; he didn't need that, and he was very happy in his house in the forest. I know 21-year-olds; I'd never met a 21-year-old like him."

In 2001's "Monster's Ball," he made an indelible impression in a brief appearance as a tough death-row guard's sensitive son. It was an understated, soulful turn in a supporting role -- hardly the stuff of a teen idol lusting for fame.

Indeed, Daniel Day-Lewis, who had never met Ledger, cited that performance last year while dedicating his SAG win for "There Will Be Blood" to the young actor just five days after his death, saying his character "seemed to be almost like an unformed being, retreating from themselves, retreating from his father, from his life, even retreating from us, and yet we wanted to follow him, and yet were scared to follow him, almost. It was unique."

After a few relatively unremarkable lead turns, he flexed his acting muscles in an offbeat supporting role in "Lords of Dogtown" (2005), directed by Catherine Hardwicke.

"With his physicality, he had style," said Hardwicke ( "Twilight"). "He didn't just surf or skate, he did it with his own weird, funky Heath style."

His metamorphosis to play the real-life Skip Engblom was startling. With long, ratty hair and eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses, he insisted on wearing prosthetic teeth, causing much fretting among those who hired him in part "for his beauty," Hardwicke said.

But Ledger, then a grizzled veteran in his mid-20s, brought more than quirky talent to the production.

"The younger actors, he was kind of like the godfather to all these boys, the Fagin," Hardwicke said. "He would encourage them, take them under his wing. He had half a trailer, he was so modest but he set up a camp outside it. He set up tiki torches and people would play guitars and call it Camp Heath."

Next, a more delicate transformation earned Ledger his first Academy Award, Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations. Beyond his rich emotional life as Ennis Del Mar in "Brokeback Mountain," his subtle technical choices in the film were the fine strokes that completed the painting. His clenched jaw, tight shoulders and habitual mumbling spoke of a man stoically refusing to express his true self. It was only with his secret lover that Ennis could allow his muscles to relax, his voice to come out clearly.

In 2005, Ledger joined Amato in the Los Angeles-based arts collective the Masses to hone the skills to direct films, starting with music videos. A rapidly developing visual style is apparent in the handful of his videos released so far, for artists such as Ben Harper. His steep growth curve can be seen in two pieces he directed for rapper and childhood friend Nfa: The first, "Seduction Is Evil," is a fairly straightforward presentation, possibly inspired by "Chicago"; the second, "Cause N Effect," is something much freer, abstract and striking. Two more are complete and awaiting release: one of Australian singer Grace Woodroofe covering David Bowie's "Quicksand" and an animated clip Ledger designed and storyboarded for Modest Mouse, completed after his death.

"Both these new videos reflect Heath's talents as a visionary artist. Someday, there will be an exhibit of his stunning photographs," said Amato in an e-mail exchange. "What Heath brought to us at the Masses was his pure creative energy, chessboards and surfboards.

"One fond memory I have is how he assisted me on a difficult edit. My carpal-tunnel syndrome was acting up . . . so Heath said, 'I'll be your hands.' And he was."

Ledger's next projects included the gritty drug-addiction drama "Candy" and the Bob Dylan tribute "I'm Not There," making it possible to trace the evolution of his sexual cool from the charming teen of "10 Things" to the swaggering musical star he played in the Todd Haynes movie. Then came "The Dark Knight." With his terrifying alchemy as the Joker -- which may earn only the second posthumous acting Oscar -- Ledger gave his final completed performance.

"Dark Knight" director Christopher Nolan, at a recent DGA symposium, spoke of Ledger's deep commitment to the role for months before shooting even began, saying the actor would call him up to talk about the character, how he should play him, and about other actors, movies and TV shows that had influenced him.

"Patriot" costar Isaacs witnessed it firsthand. Just before "Dark Knight" started shooting in London, he ran into Ledger and his then-partner Michelle Williams and their baby daughter. The new father was carrying around a notebook in which he was jotting ideas about the Joker. Remembering the 28-year-old Aussie's "boundless energy" and love of life and his daughter, Isaacs said of the young actor's fatal overdose of prescription drugs, "I knew in my heart there was no way it was suicide.

"I'll tell you an odd thing that happened," he added. "He died and everybody who had known him and worked with him on 'The Patriot,' we all phoned each other. Not like everybody didn't know; it was all over the headlines. None of us had anything particularly interesting or profound to say; we just wanted to say his name out loud. And be sad together. Because he was a lovely person."

http://theenvelope.latimes.com/news/la-en-heath11-2009feb11,0,106654.story (http://theenvelope.latimes.com/news/la-en-heath11-2009feb11,0,106654.story)
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Penthesilea on February 12, 2009, 02:23:25 am
Thank you for posting this MiLAn. I think it is a very lovely article, with lots of sweet bits.
The last part part by Isaacs got me a bit choked up again.  :'(
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: optom3 on February 13, 2009, 12:44:17 am
Thank you for posting this MiLAn. I think it is a very lovely article, with lots of sweet bits.
The last part part by Isaacs got me a bit choked up again.  :'(


Have to say it had me almost back at square one again.We have lost someone so precious and Matilda will never know the overwhelming love of a truly doting father. Sometimes, life just sucks, period.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Ellemeno on February 21, 2009, 08:13:43 pm
What an excellent article.  Thank you MilAn.  I sure would love to see that Grace Woodroofe video, and the animation. 
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: BayCityJohn on February 22, 2009, 03:27:14 pm

Ron Gomboc, the artist who created the memorial for Heath, sent me a few pics today.

I asked him if there was any kind of inscription on the memorial.


(http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj282/SanFranciscoJohn/HL/HeathLedgersculpture066.jpg)
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: BayCityJohn on February 22, 2009, 03:27:51 pm
(http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj282/SanFranciscoJohn/HL/Image11.jpg)
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: BayCityJohn on February 22, 2009, 03:28:11 pm
(http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj282/SanFranciscoJohn/HL/Image2.jpg)
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: BayCityJohn on February 22, 2009, 03:28:43 pm
(http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj282/SanFranciscoJohn/HL/Plaques.jpg)
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Monika on February 22, 2009, 03:34:06 pm
thank you BayCityJohn


 :'(
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Front-Ranger on February 22, 2009, 03:49:55 pm
Thanks so much, John! I always think of you when this time draws near. In fact, I was just looking at my program from Bay City Oscar night, with Oscar Wilde on the cover! I thought of you last night too as I watched Milk...the character of Scott reminded me of you, not only his physical appearance but also the way he was quiet during big gatherings.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: BayCityJohn on February 22, 2009, 03:59:16 pm
Thank you Lee  :)

I'm on my way to an Oscar Night party in San Francisco.

I will be wearing my Heath Ledger shirt, and I made that inscription from the memorial into a name tag.

love ya!
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Front-Ranger on February 22, 2009, 04:11:34 pm
Have a great time, and say hello to our friends!!
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Meryl on February 22, 2009, 11:38:06 pm
Thanks for those pics, John!  The inscription is beautiful.  I would love to see those sculptures in person one day.  :)
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Sheriff Roland on February 23, 2009, 12:14:48 am
(http://www.prairiehomevoices.com/phv-blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/oscar-statue.jpg)
congrats Heath
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Penthesilea on February 23, 2009, 03:29:54 pm
Thanks for the pictures John.
I googled Kahlil Gibran (he's not well-known in Germany) and the words from the insciption because I like them. I almost fell off my chair when I found them and only two lines above in the same poem I found another line I love very much, but didn't know it's from Gibran:

For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun?



(from The Prophet, On Death)
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Katie77 on February 23, 2009, 11:44:08 pm
Thanks for the pictures John.
I googled Kahlil Gibran (he's not well-known in Germany) and the words from the insciption because I like them. I almost fell off my chair when I found them and only two lines above in the same poem I found another line I love very much, but didn't know it's from Gibran:

For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun?


(from The Prophet, On Death)

Someone used to use that as their signature here. I think it was Kerry.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: southendmd on February 24, 2009, 12:18:36 am
Another Kahlil Gibran was my neighbor.  "The Prophet" Kahlil Gibran died in 1931.  His cousin, and godson, with the same name, was my neighbor for 15 years in Boston.  He was a neighborhood treasure, a sculptor, and a friend.  He died last year at 85.

*****************

(http://www.boston.com/ae/theater_arts/exhibitionist/1208204722_5382.jpg)

Kahlil Gibran, Boston sculptor and cousin to famous poet, dies
April 14, 2008 04:13 By Bryan Marquard, Globe Staff

Sculptor and painter, inventor and writer, Kahlil Gibran nourished creativity since he was old enough to mold clay with his hands, sometimes selling for pennies the tiny animals he fashioned while sitting on a curb in the South End when he was only 4.

"I believe talent is a grace," he told the Globe in 1967. "You don't deny it, you don't affirm it. But if you don't work at it, you can lose it. The only sin is in squandering talent."

Internationally honored for his work, Mr. Gibran was at home in many disciplines. From Copley Square to the South End and Jamaica Plain, his outdoor sculptures trace a map of Boston's neighborhoods. A tripod he designed is part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. His paintings, drawings, and sculptures are in galleries, museums, and private collections across the country. And with his wife he penned a biography of his cousin, the poet Kahlil Gibran, who wrote "The Prophet" and for whom Mr. Gibran was named.

Robust and active until his final hours, Mr. Gibran died early Sunday in Massachusetts General Hospital of heart failure, not long after going to the emergency room because he was feeling ill. He was 85 and had lived in the South End most of his life.

A restless imagination drew Mr. Gibran to many facets of the fine arts and took him down avenues some artists might shun. He restored musical instruments and for his own photography once designed and built a 600mm lens. A childhood bereft of money had turned him to a life of invention.

"He was a spellbinder," Jean English Gibran said of her husband, speaking from their home in the South End. "This house has his signature on it. He made everything: He made the table where we sat, the desk where I work. He was a welder and made our saltshaker. When he was young, he didn't have a penny. If he saw something that he loved, he'd make it."

Concentrating on painting in his 20s, Mr. Gibran spent time in Provincetown, where he opened a boutique with his first wife, Eleanor Mott Berg, who now lives in Sweden. By the early 1950s, he set aside painting for sculpture.

"My marriage was breaking up, due to me," he told the Globe in 1967. "I had too much energy. Painting made me restless, didn't demand enough of me. After the divorce, psychiatry made me understand I had to sculpt. Now, at night, after a day of sculpting, I am genuinely exhausted."

Honors soon followed: a George Widener Medal, two Guggenheim Fellowships, a fellowship and award from the National Institute of Arts & Letters, and the gold medal in an international exhibit in Trieste, Italy. (For examples of his work, go to kahlilgibran.org.)

And though sculpture earned him a place in the world of art, his name remained both blessing and curse. "He said that all his life," his wife said.

Mr. Gibran was a godson to the poet and philosopher who wrote "The Prophet," which has sold millions of copies in the United States alone, turning him by some accounts into the third best-selling poet ever, behind Shakespeare and Lao-tzu. In 1974, Mr. Gibran and his wife published "Kahlil Gibran, His Life and World," a biography they hoped would turn the myth back into a man.

"Kahlil and I worked for many years excavating and trying to analyze," Jean Gibran said. "He wanted to portray Gibran to the best of his ability, and we wrote the truth about him. I think it was the first very honest portrait of Gibran printed."

In a review, Globe critic Robert Taylor called it a "splendid biography" and "an extremely well-written book."

In addition to his wife and former wife, Mr. Gibran leaves a daughter, Nicole of Seattle; a son, Timothy of Stockholm; two sisters, Suzanne Huggin and Selma Vassall, both of San Diego; two grandsons; and a granddaughter.

A funeral Mass will be said at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday in Our Lady of the Cedars of Lebanon Church in Jamaica Plain. Burial will be private.

(http://www.kahlilgibran.org/KGintroResume.jpg)

www.kahlilgibran.org (http://www.kahlilgibran.org)
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Penthesilea on February 24, 2009, 07:23:00 am
Another Kahlil Gibran was my neighbor.  "The Prophet" Kahlil Gibran died in 1931.  His cousin, and godson, with the same name, was my neighbor for 15 years in Boston.  He was a neighborhood treasure, a sculptor, and a friend.  He died last year at 85.


Thanks for sharing Paul! How fascinating that you knew Gibran (the sculptor) personally. I thought of you the other day when I researched the poet Gibran because he lived the greatest part of his life in Boston and there's also a memorial for him in Boston.


What multi-talented people both Kahlil Gibrans were. Just like Heath. The universe goes in circles.

BTW, I ordered The Prophet on Amazon. What I read online made me curious.

Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: MilAn on February 27, 2009, 11:37:17 pm
Anne Hathaway pays another tribute. Go to minute 3:55:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mZi_DIl-Fw (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mZi_DIl-Fw)
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: TOoP/Bruce on March 14, 2009, 05:55:26 pm
http://www.thecelebritycafe.com/features/25638.html

Modest Mouse to Release Music Video Directed by Heath Ledger
13-Mar-2009
Written by: Sophie Duensing

Modest Mouse is releasing a music video directed by the late Heath Ledger.

Modest Mouse will be releasing their music video directed by the late Heath Ledger, before he died in January of last year, Spin.com reports. The Oscar winning Dark Knight actor directed the band’s animated video for “King Rat,” a bonus track off their 2007 album, We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank.

"Heath and I have a mutual friend and when we were in Australia, my fiancée and some of us in the band went out on a boat with him and his family and friends and talked about the idea," Modest Mouse front man Isaac Brock told VH1. "The idea sort of dropped, but then he just sent me an email saying that he wanted to do it."

Modest Mouse will be performing on Late Show with David Letterman on March 18. They will be finishing the final leg of their U.S. tour this weekend, Spin.com reports.

Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: sel on May 09, 2009, 01:06:33 pm
Christian Bale talks about Heath:

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/1/20090507/ten-bale-avoided-tv-news-after-ledger-s-c60bd6d.html

Christian Bale refused to watch the news after his The Dark Knight co-star Heath Ledger died - fearing gossipy coverage would tarnish his memories of his friend. Skip related content
Bale was left stunned after Ledger, who played the villainous Joker to his Batman in the 2008 blockbuster, died from an accidental prescription drug overdose in January 2008.

But he chose to block out all reports about his friend's tragic passing - because he didn't want to hear uninformed outsiders speculate about Ledger's death.

He tells Esquire magazine, "I paid no attention to it. I knew him, I knew the family and why the hell would I sit there listening to idiots who don't know anything at all? I literally didn't read anything, didn't watch anything (after he died).

"If I happened to be watching anything that came on, I switched over straight away. It's incredible the way the voyeuristic outlook is accepted as news."

And Bale still mourns Ledger's untimely death - because the Australian star was one of the few actors whose intensity and passion matched his own on set.

He adds: "Many times I'll work with actors and I can tell they're thinking, 'What are you doing? Why are you going that far with it?' or 'You're nuts!' With Heath, I could feel him going, 'I love it!'

"It felt like we were really pushing each other on, to the limits of where you can go with it. He was a good guy. There's not a lot of actors who I stay in touch with. But Heath was one of them."
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Katie77 on May 09, 2009, 08:21:43 pm
I dont know whether this has been on here anywhere, but I heard this today, and I cant get the words out of my mind........

If you click on this link, you will have the lyrics and the you tube for a beautiful song.......


http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/j/james_blunt/one_of_the_brightest_stars.html
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: optom3 on May 09, 2009, 08:37:58 pm
I dont know whether this has been on here anywhere, but I heard this today, and I cant get the words out of my mind........

If you click on this link, you will have the lyrics and the you tube for a beautiful song.......


http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/j/james_blunt/one_of_the_brightest_stars.html

That is not only very poignant but very apt. I don't think fame really changed Heath that much. It was those around who did the changing. I will never feel that Heath was particularly comfortable with all the attention. The more he was thrust into the limelight the more like a deer caught in the headlights he looked. I am sure that is why he chose to live where he did and also why he loved working with the Masses. He could come and go incognito.

I always thought one of the saddest things I read about him, was when the Australian press attacked him and Michelle at a premier and when  he got home, allegedly rang his dad in tears and put his house on the market  the next day.
How sad to be driven out of your birth country.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Katie77 on May 09, 2009, 09:14:49 pm
Yes Fiona, I remember that incident.

Actually, what happened was someone from the press or connected with the media, squirted him with a water pistol, while he was walking the red carpet, and filmed his reaction.

Of course the intial reaction when Heath saw the gun, was a terrifying look, and then of course anger. The prank was the most lowest act of anything I had seen, and my disgust and anger at the perpetrators was shared by most Australians. The embarrassment and anger felt by Heath, was, the straw that broke the camels back, and was the point of no return for Heath to feel comfortable living back here in his homeland.

I thought of that time, when Heath died, and with anger again, I thought of how things might have been different had Heath been able to feel comfortable living here, near his family and support, and I cursed and cursed those bastards once again for what they did to such a beautiful human being.

It was one of the rare times in my life, that I was embarrassed to be an Australian.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: optom3 on May 09, 2009, 10:30:31 pm
You know what Sue, it is not anything to do with being an Australian, it is a certain genre of paparazzi, they are lower than low and have contributed to so many tragic events. They seem to have the attitude that it is they who have "made" the star and therefore have the right to own them publically. They say jump, the reply is how high.
If you are having a bad day and just think, Oh piss off, that simply is not allowed, you have to be God like in your behaviour and worship at the shrine of the photo opp.
I fully agree with you.Had Heath had a second base in his home country, maybe he would have been able to escape there for some R&R and if necessary some healing.
What really makes my blood boil is that Heath was one of the few who never deliberately courted publicity, quite the reverse. I was apoplectic when he passed and the Aussie press were all over the place saying how tragic it was, as indeed it was, but also what a great guy he was, again true. They were only too happy to claim him as an Aussie then. I wonder if some of them suffered even the tiniest twinge of guilt that they and only they were instrumental in driving him out of Australia.
He managed to live a pretty low key life in NYC , what a pity he did not have the same opportunity in Australia, particularly as he was so obviously a real surfing fan.
Oh dear, now I am all maudlin again. :'( I wonder when it stops hurting ?
So never be embarrassed to be an Aussie, there are rotten to the core Paparazzi in every country. They are the problem, not the ordinary citizens. It is one reason I feel really guilty, looking at photos which have obviously been taken on the sly. I feel I am then somehow complicit in the events, if that makes sense.
There is an almost insatiable appetite these days to know the very minutiae of those we idolise. I am just as guilty as the next and then how  shocked are we ,when the poor "star" is revealed as mortal after all.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Katie77 on May 09, 2009, 10:41:11 pm
Thank you Fiona, and yes, now I am with you, feeling sad again. It will always be there, sometimes hidden deep inside, sometimes it resurfaces, and the sadness and frustrations feel just as bad as they did that first day.

Rest in Peace dear Heath.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: TOoP/Bruce on May 10, 2009, 02:20:17 am
Yes Fiona, I remember that incident.

Actually, what happened was someone from the press or connected with the media, squirted him with a water pistol, while he was walking the red carpet, and filmed his reaction.


It happened at the Australian premiere of Brokeback Mountain...
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Katie77 on May 10, 2009, 02:44:54 am
It happened at the Australian premiere of Brokeback Mountain...

Bastards..........
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: MilAn on June 01, 2009, 02:38:03 pm
Quote
JOHNNY DEPP has paid a personal tribute to the late HEATH LEDGER by naming a section of his private paradise island in the Bahamas after the tragic actor.
The Pirates of the Caribbean star owns Little Hall's Pond Cay in the Caribbean and frequently travels there with his girlfriend Vanessa Paradis and their two children, Lily-Rose, 10, and Jack, seven.
Depp reveals he has renamed a prime snorkelling spot Heath's Place, in memory of his pal, and admits the sunshine getaway provides the perfect place to unwind and escape from the pressures of Hollywood.
He tells Vanity Fair magazine, "I don’t think I'd ever seen any place so pure and beautiful.
"(Pond Cay life) is my decompression. It's my way of trying to return to normalcy. Escapism is survival to me. You can feel your pulse rate drop about 20 beats. It's instant freedom. ...And a little morsel of anonymity.
"Whenever I was getting frustrated about being 'novelty boy' and making movies, I told myself, Calm down. I can come down here and disappear. I spent the Christmas season here with Vanessa and the kids. You can feed hot dogs to the nurse sharks in the Exumas (the outer islands of the Bahamas) - but it's best to not swim when doing it."
Ledger died from an accidental prescription drug overdose in January 2008.
Depp is one of three actors who have stepped in to take over Ledger's role in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, his last unfinished project, alongside Colin Farrell and Jude Law.

http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/depp-honours-ledger-with-snorkelling-cove_1105133 (http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/depp-honours-ledger-with-snorkelling-cove_1105133)



Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Katie77 on June 07, 2009, 10:36:50 pm

http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,,25600138-5005368,00.html



June 07, 2009 10:00am
PERTH chart-toppers Eskimo Joe have written a tribute to tragic star Heath Ledger (watch the video here).

Their new single and radio hit, Foreign Land, is about Ledger's untimely death in New York.

``New York is a big bad city in some respects,'' Eskimo Joe singer Kav Temperley said. ``It's got a coldness and loneliness to it.

``And this young man dying in a foreign land, we felt the loneliness of the situation.''

Eskimo Joe - Temperley, Joel Quartermain and Stuart McLeod -  are from Ledger's hometown of Perth.

``We came from the same town, we were the same age and we were in New York when he died,'' Temperley said.

A powerful lyric in the song - ``I smell the blood of an Australian'' - is about the US media bloodlust following Ledger's death.

``They pretended to be sorry, but they really loved it,'' Quartermain said. ``They loved the fact that somebody was dead.''

Eskimo Joe were scheduled to do US interviews on the same day as Ledger's passing.

``When everyone got wind of the fact we were from the same town as Heath, they shoved microphones in our faces.

``We got a distant taste of the media frenzy. And it left a bad taste.

``For us, it was like: `Let the poor guy be.'''

Ledger's father, Kim, had no comment on the song.

The band, and their record company Warner Music, have had no contact from the Ledger family about Foreign Land.

Eskimo Joe performed an exclusive acoustic version of Foreign Land, which you can watch now.

Foreign Land, by Eskimo Joe, sample lyrics -

Steady my shaky hands

Shut off the world's demands

to get the facts down

Do you understand?



That this is a foreign land

So try to understand that

Do you understand?

Do you understand?



This is what it feels to love

then l can feel that

Even when you're all alone

Even when it's not your home



Take a little look around

nothing else hits the ground

Touch my hand

up to the air



Dying in the foreign land

So do you understand that

Do you understand?

Even when you're all alone

When it's not your home

I smell the blood of an Australian


 
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: optom3 on June 08, 2009, 11:57:10 am
Well that set the waterworks off again. How very true what they said though.The media pretended to be sad but really it was a good dramatic story for them, which they managed to drag out for some time.
What was really sad, is that stupidly it had never really sunk in that Heath did pass in a country not his own. It is bad enough that he died alone,I hope with all my heart that he just fell asleep never to wake. I hope he never had a conscious second of panic, wondering what was happening to him.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: trekfan on June 08, 2009, 05:05:43 pm
what a beautiful man he was inside and out.    There is a hole that can never be filled.     :'(
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: ifyoucantfixit on June 08, 2009, 09:35:45 pm
     Sue you should never be ashamed to be an Aussie.  All of the Aussies are not responsible for what happened to Heath, at that

premier, any more than, all Americans are responsible for the deaths of Pres. Kennedy, or his brother.  There are always kooks in

every place and every country.  It is a sad fact that when people become famous, its just a bad fall out, or the price you pay to

have fame and celebrity.

     I am watching the mad media rush now that is following Adam Lambert around.  Its crazy.  His being gay makes him an

additional target.  I just hope they have good security on him...I fear for his safety. 

      I certainly don't know the answer to the problem, I doubt there is one...?   Maybe international stalker laws, that

require six feet or more away from the celebs.  But that again stops the ones that wish to interact with their fans the

ability to do so.????


        When I thinnk of Heaths death, other than the utter devastation and sadness, was that damnable video.   They played

over and over and over.  The gurney and the hearse leaving his home.   I wanted to scream,,,,,stop! stop! stop !stop! IT

We had seen it too many times...........................................................

     
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Katie77 on June 08, 2009, 11:59:57 pm
I guess because I am very proud to be an Aussie, that when my countrymen let me down, or show such disregard for human decency like those that harrassed Heath, it just makes me disappointed even more, than I would be if it was someone who came from somewhere else.

And when I think that their actions, may have changed the course of Heath's life, where he decided to live, it just makes it all the more despicable. One moment like that, had it not happend, may have made things different.

I too am a great fan of Adam Lambert. Unfortunately, now that American Idol has finished on Aussie TV, we dont get much press about him, but I do hope he gets treated fairly, and has plenty of support and protection from the idiots out there who seem to get pleasure hurting these people.

I watched a movie called "Two Hands" the other night. A film made in Australia when Heath was only 19. And like I cant help myself doing now, when I watch him in any film, I feel some kind of guilt or knowing something I shouldn't know, that he only has a limited time left. It overcomes me, and I cant stop thinking it, as I watch him. And eventually the guilt turns to a sadness, such a dam awful sadness.

I feel the same when I look at photos of family or friends that have passed on. Like I want to crawl into the photo or film and tell them to be careful. Its an awful feeling.

Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: ifyoucantfixit on June 09, 2009, 09:42:39 pm


     Well I have been keeping pretty close track of his comings and goings.  He has officially signed his contract with 19entertainments
RCA division.  I think he said they are already starting to find songs and try to put the stuff together in an album.
     He was presented on Sunday Young Entertainer of the year award.  Presented co-incidentally by Kara DioGuardi. 
     The new issue of Rolling stone comes out on Friday, and he is the cover boy.!!!  He is really excited about that one.  He was
nearly giddy when he was doing it.  There is some videos online showing it.   He is having the time of his life.  He like Heath has
been no angel in his life.  He admits to smoking pot and not always being the square peg, so to speak.  But as afraid as I get sometimes
by the thrush of media he is encountering.  He said like David Copperfield, it is the best of times it is the worst of times...The media following him around makes him know he is popular finally, but its also the fact that the media is always followiing him around...  However
he has been continuously gracious and sweet when talking to them all.  I think he has worked his whole life to get to this place, and
I think if anyone is ever ready.  He is.  But dangerous things could change that open generous and sweet person.  Just as it seemed to do to Heath.  Making him afraid to be that open fun and joyful kid he was when he started.  We'll just have to wait and see.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: optom3 on June 09, 2009, 11:16:17 pm
I guess because I am very proud to be an Aussie, that when my countrymen let me down, or show such disregard for human decency like those that harrassed Heath, it just makes me disappointed even more, than I would be if it was someone who came from somewhere else.

And when I think that their actions, may have changed the course of Heath's life, where he decided to live, it just makes it all the more despicable. One moment like that, had it not happend, may have made things different.

I too am a great fan of Adam Lambert. Unfortunately, now that American Idol has finished on Aussie TV, we dont get much press about him, but I do hope he gets treated fairly, and has plenty of support and protection from the idiots out there who seem to get pleasure hurting these people.

I watched a movie called "Two Hands" the other night. A film made in Australia when Heath was only 19. And like I cant help myself doing now, when I watch him in any film, I feel some kind of guilt or knowing something I shouldn't know, that he only has a limited time left. It overcomes me, and I cant stop thinking it, as I watch him. And eventually the guilt turns to a sadness, such a dam awful sadness.

I feel the same when I look at photos of family or friends that have passed on. Like I want to crawl into the photo or film and tell them to be careful. Its an awful feeling.



That is so weird, it is exactly the way I feel when I watch Heath films now. I even find myself thinking make the most of every minute. Candy is so hard to watch, particularly when Dan finds one of his friends dead from an overdose in his house. I don't know why I watch it because I keep thinking OMG that will be you soon.
 I can also empathise with you about your fellow country men. Every time the England soccer fans used to run wild abroad, I would be so ashamed. I used to think, Oh please don't let there be trouble this time.
Similarily the particular type of Brit. abroad who moans about all this foreign food and why can't I just get some fish and chips. It is always said in such a loud voice too, cringe !!! :)
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Monika on November 19, 2009, 05:03:32 am
Just read two articles/interviews that I really enjoyed. Both are by Paul Fischer. The first is an interview with Heath done in 2006, the second piece is a tribute written after Heath´s death.
Perhaps they´ve already been posted here.



Paul Fischer at the Toronto Film Festival.


CANDYMAN / DARK KNIGHT
Heath Ledger arrives in Toronto for the North American premiere of his Australian film, Candy, without an entourage. There’s no publicist and no fanfare. "When I’m not working I don’t need a publicist", Heath Ledger says, as we sit in the quiet corner of a Toronto hotel restaurant. Here for just a day, he already misses wife Michelle Williams and daughter Matilda."Matilda is just awesome and being a father has also helped me become even more selective now with work because for me, to go away from home for a day, let alone five, is tough," says Heath Ledger, with a wistful smile. Ledger, though, was more than happy to leave Montreal where Michelle is shooting Todd Haynes’ Bob Dylan film I'm Not There, in which he also appears, to talk about Candy. In another unforgettable performance, the now Oscar nominee plays a self-destructive heroin addict, also ferociously in love with the beautiful Candy. The actor, who hasn’t made a film in his native Australia since Ned Kelly or with is own accent since 1999’s Two Hands, says it was a release to go back to Australia and work there. "I mean I’m constantly looking for material back there for that reason and it was so liberating to talk without an accent. But I also love to tell Australian stories and they’re just so very few of them back there right now, because any half decent or half talented writer, actor or cinematographer just gets ripped up and taken out of there, so the pickings are slim." Heath Ledger was happy to get paid far less than usual to take on another challenging role. "I really loved working on it, I was so comfortable and relaxed and I was working with wonderful people like Abbie. Cornish."

Heath Ledger and Cornish both took the job of research very seriously, almost too seriously it seems. "We grabbed a video camera and went down to this place in Sydney called NUA, which is the Narcotics Users Association. There we met this gentleman who has been and still is a junkie for something like 25 years. So he took us into this little room, pulled out what looked like a rifle case, opened it up and there was a prosthetic arm in it - like a really lifelike arm, and at the end, on the shoulder, there are two tubes that have blood bags and you put fake blood into them and they’re fully functional veins in the arm that you can inject into and pull out blood. I mean they’re designed to teach nurses and stuff like that how to find veins, but they have one here to teach kids how to inject safely. And so he was like, oh, look at that vein, that’s a good one, ooh, ooh, and he was salivating at the mouth, and he was like let’s get one here, so there was that," he recalls, laughingly. We filmed it and so I gave the DVD to Geoffrey Rush, one to the Art Department and one to Neil, just as reference. "The film, Candy, which is being released in the United States by ThinkFilm later this year, was loosely based on the real life experiences of addict Luke Davies who was on set all the time and was there to say things that we wouldn’t know - like when you’re stoned high on heroine, your eyes aren’t like that but your eyebrows are up." But the actor concedes he could have survived without too much of the research. After all, he says laughingly, "I feel that I’ve read a million books and articles and have seen a million movies and TV shows on heroine and heroine addiction, I just feel like we all kind of have seen it."

Since the first time we met, on the set of Two Hands in Australia, Heath Ledger has evolved into one of Hollywood’s true A-list stars. Last year, he joined that elite group of Oscar nominees for his sensitive and much acclaimed performance in Brokeback Mountain. Looking back, the actor is genuinely surprised that the film took off like it did. "I was definitely surprised and my expectations for the film were really down here," he says laughingly, moving his hands towards the floor. "I was really pleasantly surprised and so grateful to have been given that opportunity and really proud of it but I’m really happy it’s all over too, because it was really exhausting," Ledger says, recalling the awards season and the lead up to the Oscars. But he also admits almost shyly, that his nomination has opened up even more doors. "I think there’s a new level of interest kind of thing but I haven’t really acted on it, since the only thing I’ve really done since is this Todd Haynes film and The Joker." It is his decision to play The Joker in the new Batman film The Dark Knight that has caused much interest in the industry. He says that ordinarily doing something like that would not be of interest to him. "I actually hate comic book movies, like fucking hate them, they just bore me shitless and they’re just dumb. But I thought what Chris Nolan did with Batman was actually really good, really well directed, and Christian Bale was really great in it." Heath Ledger says he’s looking forward to playing a truly evil character. "He’s going to be really sinister and it’s going to be less about his laugh and his pranks and more about just him being a just a fucking sinister guy." Asked if he decides to do a big movie like this, because of agent pressure, Heath Ledger pauses then laughs. "I’m sure they’re super happy that I’m doing this, because this is the first time I’ve really kind of taken something like that, so they’re over the moon. But I think it’s just going to be a really fun experience, and I love to dress up and wear a mask." No costumes have been designed, but the actor says that "I’ve seen a few interesting designs on the look and I think that it’s going to look pretty cool."

Who would have thought that when young Heath Ledger decided to move to Los Angeles at age 17, he would ultimately end up as a gay cowboy and Batman’s nemesis in a matter of a year or so? But life turned out differently than even he could have imagined. After all, we both moved to LA for the same reason, as I discovered during this conversation: For love. "I also moved to LA to follow a girl," he recalls laughingly. "I did Roar, was dating a girl in the TV show, she went back to LA and I had to go with her. I stayed there and lived with for her for two years." Then he landed his first major film role - back in Australia- Two Hands. The rest, as they, is history. Now Heath Ledger says he’s at his happiest, both professionally and




HEATH LEDGER - A PERSONAL REFLECTION
By Paul Fischer

I first met Heath Ledger in the winter of 1998. It was nighttime, and a young ex-TV star was on the set of his first film, Two Hands, the laconic Australian gangster films. He was 18, fresh faced, shy but embracing the future. We were in the Sydney suburb of Kings Cross and Heath Ledger had a cigarette dangling between his fingers. I remember him telling me how much he loved acting and how much he was looking forward to his first Hollywood role opposite Julia Stiles in 10 Things I Hate About You. Life was going well for the then 18 year old. Over the years we had done countless interviews throughout his evolution as an actor. You put two Aussies together and the conversation is different to the usual interview. Even with the success he attained, there was nothing pretentious about Heath Ledger, nothing even gloomy or despondent as some are suggesting. Ferociously intelligent and very private, Heath Ledger was always impassioned about his work, and I remember not long after Matilda was born, he was clearly the doting father.

We got along because I was never intrusive into his private life and we had a similar, cheeky sense of humour. That side of him was rarely exposed in the media, because Heath Ledger never courted publicity and hated the process. The last time we saw each other was at the 2006 Toronto Film Festival where he was promoting the Australian film Candy. Yes, ironic that he was starring as a drug-addicted artist, but his performance in that film exemplified his individual artistry. We were sitting in a quiet corner restaurant joking away as we usually did, and he spoke about his daughter and how fatherhood impacted on his choices. "Matilda is just awesome and being a father has also helped me become even more selective now with work because for me, to go away from home for a day, let alone five, is tough,"

We also talked about his latest role, that of The Joker in the new Batman and his initial reluctance to take it on. He says that ordinarily doing something like that would not be of interest to him. "I actually hate comic book movies, like f***ing hate them, they just bore me shitless and they're just dumb. But I thought what Chris Nolan did with Batman was actually really good, really well directed, and Christian Bale was really great in it."

Those who barely knew him will write much about Heath Ledger and there will be endless speculation over his tragic passing, but at the end of the day, he was an audacious talent, a smart human being with a zest for life and a passion for his craft. He was a doting father, and in the 10 years I knew him, I marvelled at his personal and professional evolution. Rest in peace mate, you'll be sorely missed.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Monika on November 19, 2009, 05:17:53 am
The Masses´ comment to Heath´s Oscar win was a poem by Emily Dickinson:

Glory is that bright tragic thing
That for an instant
Means Dominion –
Warms some poor name
That never felt the Sun,
Gently replacing
In oblivion
— Emily Dickinson

Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Penthesilea on November 19, 2009, 05:46:39 am
Just read two articles/interviews that I really enjoyed. Both are by Paul Fischer. The first is an interview with Heath done in 2006, the second piece is a tribute written after Heath´s death.
Perhaps they´ve already been posted here.


Thanks for posting :-*.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: MilAn on December 22, 2009, 01:12:33 pm
Matt Damon:

Quote
"Heath's the best actor I've ever worked with," he says. "Coming off The Brothers Grimm, which wasn't particularly well-received, I remember telling people about him. 'Heath Ledger, you mean the guy from A Knight's Tale?' they would say. I'd tell them, 'No, you wait!' And then he did Brokeback Mountain and The Dark Knight. People just got a glimpse of what he was going to do. He was so full of life. I don't think I'll ever get over that, nor will anybody who knew him. He was a miracle of a man. It's just horrible. It sucks." He starts to tear up, and gulps down some much-needed mineral water.

http://www.smh.com.au/executive-style/culture/matt-damon-golden-boy-20091222-lb0e.html (http://www.smh.com.au/executive-style/culture/matt-damon-golden-boy-20091222-lb0e.html)

Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: mariez on December 22, 2009, 01:30:37 pm
Matt Damon:

http://www.smh.com.au/executive-style/culture/matt-damon-golden-boy-20091222-lb0e.html (http://www.smh.com.au/executive-style/culture/matt-damon-golden-boy-20091222-lb0e.html)



"Heath's the best actor I've ever worked with," he says. "Coming off The Brothers Grimm, which wasn't particularly well-received, I remember telling people about him. 'Heath Ledger, you mean the guy from A Knight's Tale?' they would say. I'd tell them, 'No, you wait!' And then he did Brokeback Mountain and The Dark Knight. People just got a glimpse of what he was going to do. He was so full of life. I don't think I'll ever get over that, nor will anybody who knew him. He was a miracle of a man. It's just horrible. It sucks." He starts to tear up, and gulps down some much-needed mineral water.

Gulp.   :'(  What lovely and heartfelt words.  It's still heartbreaking to hear his friends and co-workers use the past tense, but I'm so grateful when they express their thoughts and admiration publicly.  Thank you, Matt.

And thanks for posting this, MilAn.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Penthesilea on December 22, 2009, 02:08:42 pm
Heath touched the hearts of so many. Wonderful and sad to see.

I've always had a thing for Matt Damon. The first time I watched BG was because he is in it, I didn't know Heath back then. After Brokeback, I watched it again because Heath is in it.
The Venice detail in the article gave me a smile.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: ifyoucantfixit on December 22, 2009, 10:18:45 pm


     What a beautiful man Matt Damon is.  He was so sincere in his admiration for how he felt.  It was hard
to read.  You could tell he is a very deeply feeling person.  Of course by what we have always seen, of him
it has always been fairly obvious.

      An aside about the movie BG, I bought it right after the video came out.  I was somewhat disappointed,
but not by the acting.  The movie had so much potential.  Everything was there, as far as I could tell, except
the story was so non cohesive.  It went everywhere, and nowhere.  But in favor of Heath and Matt, they
both did wonderful jobs I thought.  The costumes, the towns, etc. were very interesting and well done as
well.  ???  Too bad it just died on the vine so to speak.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: ifyoucantfixit on January 22, 2011, 08:10:45 am
                       HEATHCLIFF  ANDREW   LEDGER


               Rest in Glory and Peace Friend.

                             We still miss you every single day.


                    [youtube=425,350][/youtube]

             [youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jXrmAKBBTU&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL [/youtube]
   
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Penthesilea on January 22, 2011, 08:17:17 am
(crossposting form HHH)




22 January 2011

(http://i575.photobucket.com/albums/ss192/Penthesilea09/Heath/f38c60e5.gif)

Title: The Poem That Took the Place of a Mountain
Post by: Lynne on January 22, 2011, 10:10:53 am
By Wallace Stevens, as quoted as preface to “A Home at the End of the World”

There it was, word for word,
The poem that took the place of a mountain.

He breathed in its oxygen,
Even when the book lay turned in the dust of his table.

It reminded him how he had needed
A place to go to in his own direction,

How he had recomposed the pines,
Shifted the rocks and picked his way aong the clouds,

For the outlook that would be right,
Where he would be complete in an unexplained completion:

The exact rock where his inexactness
Would discover, at last, the view toward which they had edged,

Where he could lie and, gazing down at the sea,
Recognize his unique and solitary home.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Shakesthecoffecan on January 22, 2011, 10:46:32 am
Thank you Heath, for bringing Ennis to life for the world. Peace t you and to your family.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Front-Ranger on January 22, 2011, 12:07:09 pm
Amen to you all.  :'( :-*
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Meryl on January 22, 2011, 12:24:45 pm
Lovely tributes, buds.  Feel free to post them in the new Cult thread, too.  :-*

http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,3655.0.html
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Meryl on January 22, 2011, 01:08:37 pm
I was re-reading the original Cult thread (recommended on important holy days such as today) and thought the Book of Ennis deserved a review.  Thank you again, Heath, for Ennis in all his inarticulate glory.  8)

http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,3653.msg100086.html#msg100086
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Penthesilea on January 22, 2011, 02:45:19 pm
I was re-reading the original Cult thread (recommended on important holy days such as today) and thought the Book of Ennis deserved a review.  Thank you again, Heath, for Ennis in all his inarticulate glory.  8)

http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,3653.msg100086.html#msg100086


I did what our High Priestess recommends. I reread the Book Of Ennis first, then reread the whole original Cult Thread.
Well worth the time, and appropriate for today.

Right now I'm about to leave the house, going to see Love and Other Drugs. Since it's been out in Germany (roughly a week), I've been thinking how sad it is that we will never again be able to see a new movie with Heath in the theaters. :'(

The world was deprived of a good man on that day.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Meryl on January 22, 2011, 02:49:32 pm

I did what our High Priestess recommends. I reread the Book Of Ennis first, then reread the whole original Cult Thread.
Well worth the time, and appropriate for today.

Right now I'm about to leave the house, going to see Love and Other Drugs. Since it's been out in Germany (roughly a week), I've been thinking how sad it is that we will never again be able to see a new movie with Heath in the theaters. :'(

The world was deprived of a good man on that day.

Thanks for hanging out in the Cult for a bit, Chrissi.  There are lots of oldies but goodies in there.  ;)

I think it's great you're going to see Jake and Anne today.  Life goes on, so let's celebrate it!  :-*
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Ellemeno on January 22, 2011, 04:20:34 pm
I was re-reading the original Cult thread (recommended on important holy days such as today) and thought the Book of Ennis deserved a review.  Thank you again, Heath, for Ennis in all his inarticulate glory.  8)

http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,3653.msg100086.html#msg100086


Hunh. 

Thanks Merly.  Back in them days we were pawing the white out of the moon.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Kelda on January 22, 2011, 04:33:02 pm
3 fucking years..  :(
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Monika on January 22, 2011, 05:08:07 pm
Thank you, Heath. There are millions of people around the world who will never forget you.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Monika on January 22, 2011, 05:11:17 pm

Right now I'm about to leave the house, going to see Love and Other Drugs. Since it's been out in Germany (roughly a week), I've been thinking how sad it is that we will never again be able to see a new movie with Heath in the theaters. :'(

how very bittersweet, Chrissie

*hugs*
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: j.U.d.E. on January 25, 2011, 08:21:00 pm
..still effing devastating! And still pissed off that he died.. 
..this is not the way it was supposed to be..

..rest in peace..
..HEATH..
19792008
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: MilAn on January 29, 2011, 02:26:40 pm
RECLUSIVE supermodel Gemma Ward will return to the international spotlight this year when she makes her theatrical debut in Australia.
And ahead of her return to centre stage, the beauty has also opened up about her brief romance with actor Heath Ledger in the months before he died.

"I have taken a break from the media spotlight for the past few years and it was something spurred by Heath's death," she said. "(Heath and I) first met in New York and we were both struggling with things that I won't get into, and we bonded over that.

"I kind of met him at first and said, 'Listen my mum's living with me right now and I'm kind of going through a hard time and I'm not interested in having a serious relationship with somebody right now' and he was like, 'You know, um, let's just be there for each other through these hard times we're both going through'. And we developed a relationship and we started seeing each other."

More: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/confidential/gemma-ward-opens-up-about-her-life-with-heath-ledger/story-e6frf96o-1225996705981 (http://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/confidential/gemma-ward-opens-up-about-her-life-with-heath-ledger/story-e6frf96o-1225996705981)
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: RouxB on April 18, 2011, 01:46:31 pm

                                                   You have to know how embedded you are in my heart, my Heath, my Ennis.
:-* :-* :-*
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Meryl on April 21, 2011, 10:51:46 am
I just noticed that the Ovation channel (83 in the New York area) is airing an hour-long Heath Ledger: A Tribute today.  Remaining showings are at 1:00 and 5:00.

I think it's this one, produced in the U.K.:  http://www.amazon.co.uk/Heath-Ledger-A-Tribute-DVD/dp/B001MSJZR8
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Marge_Innavera on June 19, 2011, 04:44:48 pm
Very touching montage of Heath scenes in Brokeback, with "Amazing Grace" as background music.  Other Heath videos on this YouTube account.


[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0APzgyy9jM[/youtube]

Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Katie77 on June 19, 2011, 06:31:19 pm
 :'( :'( :'(

Thank you for sharing Marge
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Front-Ranger on January 21, 2012, 04:27:35 pm
Heath, he never did anything by half, whether fence mending or money spending...he was all-in in everything he did. He is an inspiration to us all!
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Front-Ranger on January 21, 2012, 07:56:35 pm
Very touching montage of Heath scenes in Brokeback, with "Amazing Grace" as background music.  Other Heath videos on this YouTube account.


[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0APzgyy9jM[/youtube]

I like to think that was a very happy time in Heath's life, when he played an important role, met the love of his life and got his family started, and spent time in the great outdoors that he loved so much.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: RouxB on January 21, 2012, 10:25:44 pm
He continues to blow through my life-less like a tornado now and more like a sweet spring breeze.

Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Meryl on January 22, 2012, 01:38:52 am
He continues to blow through my life-less like a tornado now and more like a sweet spring breeze.



A lovely way to put it, Roux.  :-*
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Ellemeno on January 22, 2012, 01:52:57 am
I have a hard time accepting how he died.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Penthesilea on January 22, 2012, 05:25:06 am
I've just re-read the sections of the HHH thread from Jan 22nd in 2009, 2010 and 2011.
Not going back to 2008 though.

2009 (http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,1179.msg467678.html#msg467678)

2010 (http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,1179.msg559425.html#msg559425)

2011 (http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,1179.msg601460.html#msg601460)

2012 (http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,1179.msg626462.html#msg626462)

(http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m47/Penthesilea06/Heath2/BlumenCampsite2.jpg)
photo by Mouk
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: RouxB on January 22, 2012, 03:30:27 pm
I was doing okay this morning until I got here. Shaking off the sad now and getting on with my day.

I will send flowers to my Brokie heart at sunset by way of the ocean as I do every year at this time. I know he will get them.

Heath, you changed my life and for that I am ever thankful and you are ever loved.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: brianr on August 25, 2012, 01:14:10 am
I was recently visiting Perth. While wandering around I looked back at the theatre and saw the name. I could not go back but took a quick snap as I thought members of this forum might like it.
(http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g218/brianr44/HEATHTHEATRE.jpg)

An enlargement of the sign explains

(http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g218/brianr44/HEATHTHEATRE1.jpg)
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: RouxB on August 25, 2012, 02:37:29 am
Thanks Brian, this is most appreciated. Perth is in my future...
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Katie77 on January 22, 2013, 11:03:37 am
Just re-watched the you tube montage of Heath in Brokeback scenes, and think to myself, what other memorable films would he have acted in over the past 5 years.......would we be waiting eagerly now if he had been nominated for another Academy Award.....how many photos of him and Matilda would have been posted on his thread here....or photos of him wearing those striped socks again to some gala event......

Its so sad that we didn't see him get that little bit older, more mature, more settled.

I miss him, and what could have been........what would have been.....
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Meryl on January 22, 2013, 11:35:06 am
Just re-watched the you tube montage of Heath in Brokeback scenes, and think to myself, what other memorable films would he have acted in over the past 5 years.......would we be waiting eagerly now if he had been nominated for another Academy Award.....how many photos of him and Matilda would have been posted on his thread here....or photos of him wearing those striped socks again to some gala event......

Its so sad that we didn't see him get that little bit older, more mature, more settled.

I miss him, and what could have been........what would have been.....

Same here, Sue!  I think about it often, what we have missed.  I guess we just have to be grateful we had him while we did and that he was the chosen avatar of Ennis.  Peace, bud.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: optom3 on January 22, 2013, 02:56:27 pm
Just re-watched the you tube montage of Heath in Brokeback scenes, and think to myself, what other memorable films would he have acted in over the past 5 years.......would we be waiting eagerly now if he had been nominated for another Academy Award.....how many photos of him and Matilda would have been posted on his thread here....or photos of him wearing those striped socks again to some gala event......

Its so sad that we didn't see him get that little bit older, more mature, more settled.

I miss him, and what could have been........what would have been.....


I'm right with you on this one,what may have been.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Mandy21 on January 22, 2013, 03:09:55 pm
What a shining star he would have been, always and forever.  Impossible to believe that 5 years have passed...
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: mouk on January 25, 2013, 11:17:03 pm
5 years, and forever as present in our hearts...
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: southendmd on April 06, 2014, 11:15:05 am
Diana posted this on facebook yesterday:

In honor of Heath Ledger's birthday (April 4), I want to post a tribute article about him which I wrote for the Spirit Awards ceremony in 2008:

"Heath was an old soul in a young man's form, animated, kinetic, masculine, capable in all things, yet uncommonly sensitive. A loyal friend and an adoring father, his least favorite subject was himself. He was always disheveled, unconcerned with his appearance, because, like my writing partner Larry McMurtry, Heath lived in his head. He was a pure actor, much like Larry is a pure writer, in that he believed his work should speak for itself. In all his endeavors, Heath was a risk taker with an insatiable curiosity: he loved surfing and skateboarding; he was an accomplished chess player; he was an imaginative photographer with an acute eye. Heath could be impatient and demanding, fidgety and exasperating, but then turn right around and be generous, endearing, painfully shy, humble. His evolution from teen heartthrob to his haunting portrayal of an emotionally straitjacketed rural gay in BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN--a performance whose tragic force will continue to touch audiences for years to come—gave us a mere taste of his potential as an actor. The great 20th century American poet Walt Whitman said it best: "Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself, I am large, I contain multitudes."
 --Diana Ossana
 Writer/Producer
 Brokeback Mountain"

 Heath was like one of my children. I still miss him terribly.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Front-Ranger on January 22, 2015, 02:02:46 am
Heath would have liked this.
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: coffeedrinkintexan on January 22, 2015, 10:21:18 pm
.....sorry, wrong thread
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Front-Ranger on January 21, 2016, 07:19:44 pm
This day sneaks up on me every year.  :'( :'(
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: MsMercury on January 22, 2016, 09:13:13 pm
Here we are again. Such a sad day.  :(
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: CellarDweller on January 25, 2016, 09:36:27 am

(http://img15.deviantart.net/3614/i/2009/219/e/4/rip_heath_ledger_collage_by_twilight2886.jpg)

Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Front-Ranger on January 22, 2018, 02:44:27 pm
 :'(
Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Aloysius J. Gleek on January 28, 2018, 12:03:29 am
(http://www.ontopmag.com/images/ArticleImages/heath_ledger_brokeback_mountain_berlinale_2005.jpg)
[youtube=810,500]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpHR1nZ7FsE[/youtube]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpHR1nZ7FsE


Heath Ledger - Candy Premiere
The 56th Berlin International Film Festival
15 February 2006
Q&A/Press Conference


Jordan Roche
Published on Jan 19, 2013

(https://yt3.ggpht.com/-ex8PW5JLBes/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAAAA/-nZvg5v_7Wg/s88-c-k-no-mo-rj-c0xffffff/photo.jpg)







http://www.ontopmag.com/article/37270/Heath_Ledger_To_People_Who_Called_Brokeback_Mountains_Gay_Romance_Disgusting_Get_Over_It


(http://www.ontopmag.com/Images/Icons/otm6_new_logo_3px_border_150.png)
Heath Ledger:
To People Who Called
Brokeback Mountain's
Gay Romance 'Disgusting'
--Get Over It.
by ON TOP MAGAZINE STAFF
January 24, 2018

(http://www.ontopmag.com/images/ArticleImages/heath_ledger_brokeback_mountain_berlinale_2005.jpg)
Heath Ledger comment re Brokeback Mountain at the Berlinale
Candy  Premiere: The 56th Berlin International Film Festival, 15 February 2006 Q&A/Press Conference





Video has surfaced on social media of Heath Ledger responding to people who called Brokeback Mountain's gay romance “disgusting.”

Ledger was found dead from an accidental overdose in his New York apartment on January 22, 2008. He was 28.

Ledger's performance as rancher Ennis Del Mar in Ang Lee's 2005 gay drama Brokeback Mountain  won him legions of fans and numerous awards, including an Oscar best actor nomination.

Brokeback Mountain, based on a short story of the same name by Annie Proulx, won three Academy Awards, though it lost the Best Picture award to Crash. The film, which spans 20 years, stars Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal as star-crossed lovers in the American West.

“I think it's a real shame – I think it's immature for one,” Ledger answered when asked to respond to people who called the film's relationship “disgusting.”

“I think it's an incredible shame that people go out of their way to voice their disgust or negative opinions about the way two people wish to love one another.”

“I also feel like [the film] will surprise people. It's obviously about two men in love and it's obviously 'gay-themed' and it's very easily labeled, but unfortunately people are very quick in life to label something they're uncomfortable with.”

"The pure fact of it is that it transcends a label: it's human. It's a story about two human beings, two souls that are in love.”

“Get over the fact it's two men – that's the point. … We're showing that love between two men is just as infectious and emotional and strong and pure as it is with heterosexual love.”

"And if you can't understand it, just don't go see the movie. It's okay. We don't care.”

"Deal with it in your own private life. Don't voice it out. We don't want to know,” he added.






(https://media.gettyimages.com/photos/heath-ledger-during-56th-berlinale-international-film-festival-candy-picture-id116937344?k=6&m=116937344&s=612x612&w=0&h=mCZp1QvD6fG_Aj8uVPiO9nVM2cCS4deRFSpb-8gbqtg=)






Related:
http://www.ontopmag.com/article/21916/Jake_Gyllenhaal_Brokeback_Mountain_Played_A_Part_In_Gay_Marriage_Ruling


Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: Front-Ranger on January 22, 2022, 02:28:55 pm
Thanks to mouk and LauraGigs for making this wonderful tribute.

Title: Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
Post by: serious crayons on July 19, 2023, 03:07:44 pm
I was just reading an article about Christopher Nolan that mentioned Heath's character in Batman and happened to link to this adorable 19-second montage: