Author Topic: Heath Ledger - News Accounts  (Read 1144594 times)

Offline Aloysius J. Gleek

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Re: Heath Ledger Dead - News Accounts
« Reply #150 on: January 25, 2008, 10:52:00 pm »
From New York Magazine

In Other News

1/25 | 4:30 PM

Heath Ledger: To Belabor or Not to Belabor?



Those of you who, like us, watch Anderson Cooper 360 religiously, probably noticed last night that Manderson didn't have much in the way of Heath Ledger coverage. While many other news outlets were repeating the same information over and over, he decided to focus on other things. He explained this decision on his blog last night:

[Ledger's] shocking death is clearly a story a lot of people are interested in, but tonight we will not be reporting more on it. The truth is there is not really anything new to report. The full results of the various tests done on Mr. Ledger will not be ready for perhaps a few weeks and there is very little new information.

I have no doubt other networks will spend a lot of time tonight discussing his death and the various rumors about what might have caused it, but I am not a fan of speculation, so unless there is something really new to discuss we probably won't be covering it anymore anytime soon.


Wow, that makes sense (unless, like us, you are covering the coverage). Frankly, it's a sober, levelheaded choice to make when deciding how to handle Ledger's death. But it's certainly not the only one. In fact, we were just watching Fox News and heard this teaser for Bill  O'Reilly's show later today:

"ON THE O'REILLY FACTOR: DO AMERICANS CARE MORE ABOUT THE LIVES OF CELEBRITIES THAN THE LIVES OF OUR TROOPS?"

Mmm.
"Tu doives entendre je t'aime."
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and Pee-wee in the 1990 episode
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Offline Aloysius J. Gleek

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Re: Heath Ledger Dead - News Accounts
« Reply #151 on: January 25, 2008, 11:04:39 pm »
From: The New York Times

Funeral Plans for Ledger Remain Cloudy

By JAMES BARRON
Published: January 25, 2008

Two days after the actor Heath Ledger was found dead in his apartment in SoHo, reporters and paparazzi converged on Thursday at the funeral home where his body had been taken.

The police set up barricades outside the Frank E. Campbell funeral home, on Madison Avenue at 81st Street, while a stream of mourners left flowers and scribbled tributes at a makeshift memorial outside the loft building where Mr. Ledger, the Australian-born star of “Brokeback Mountain,” died. By Thursday afternoon, someone had tacked an Australian flag beside the front door of the building, at 421 Broome Street.

Mr. Ledger, 28, was found in his apartment on Tuesday by a masseuse who arrived for an appointment and went into his bedroom, where he had been sleeping.

The police have said that the masseuse, Diana Wolozin, called the actress Mary-Kate Olsen, a friend of Mr. Ledger’s, three times before she called the police and once afterward. Ms. Olsen, who was in California, sent private security agents who arrived at the same time as emergency medical workers.

The police also said that Ms. Wolozin shook Mr. Ledger twice — before she placed the first call to Ms. Olsen, and again before she dialed 911. She could not rouse him, the police said.

Dominick Carella, an official at Frank E. Campbell, said on Thursday evening that that funeral arrangements had not been completed.

“Everyone assumed funeral arrangements were going on today, which they were not,” he said. There had been speculation during the day, heightened by no-parking signs the police posted up and down Madison Avenue, that Mr. Ledger’s father, Kim, would arrive from Australia on Friday and would then accompany the body back to Australia for burial. “I never commented on that and I haven’t gotten word on that,” Mr. Carella said.

Mr. Ledger’s spokeswoman, Mara Buxbaum, said she would not comment on when or where services would be held.

Outside the funeral home, the police stood watch in anticipation of crowds. Their mission was to prevent anything approaching the turmoil that surrounded the funeral of a far more famous movie star, Rudolph Valentino, in the Roaring Twenties. Thirty thousand fans swarmed the funeral home, then on the Upper West Side, hoping for a last glimpse of the matinee idol. In the chaos, more than 100 people were injured.

"Tu doives entendre je t'aime."
(and you know who I am...)


Cowboy Curtis (Laurence Fishburne)
and Pee-wee in the 1990 episode
"Camping Out"

Offline BelAir

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Re: Heath Ledger Dead - News Accounts
« Reply #152 on: January 25, 2008, 11:44:24 pm »
This is how the host of The Soup concluded tonight's show...  "Heath Ledger passed away this week and in all the years we've been doing this show, we've never had cause to mention him, so stop digging through the dirt, weasels.  A talented, decent guy is gone, and our thoughts go to those who knew him."


(for those that aren't familiar with the show, it is on E! and covers various talk shows, reality shows, and Britney/Lindsey hoopla)
"— a thirst for life, for love, and for truth..."

Offline MaineWriter

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Re: Heath Ledger - News Accounts
« Reply #153 on: January 26, 2008, 09:43:39 am »
From the New York Times:

January 26, 2008

Actor’s Body Is Leaving New York for Burial in Australia


The body of the Australian-born actor Heath Ledger was taken from a Manhattan funeral home on Friday, and police officers who had been assigned to the funeral home said the body would be flown to Australia for burial.

Mr. Ledger, 28, was found dead in bed in his apartment on Tuesday. A bottle of prescription sleeping pills was nearby.

An autopsy on Wednesday was inconclusive, and the medical examiner’s office is awaiting the results of blood and tissue tests before announcing the cause of death.

About 100 fans, reporters and photographers spent hours on Friday waiting outside the funeral home, Frank E. Campbell, on Madison Avenue near 81st Street.

The police set up barricades there on Thursday and posted signs prohibiting parking on Friday along a two-block stretch of Madison Avenue around the funeral home.

Shortly before 4 p.m., a plain wooden box was loaded into a hearse, and the hearse pulled away. Officers who had been assigned to the funeral home said the box contained Mr. Ledger’s body.

There had been speculation that a service would be held in Los Angeles. But Mara Buxbaum, the publicist who had represented Mr. Ledger, wrote in an e-mail message, “There are no plans for a public service.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/26/nyregion/26ledger.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion&oref=slogin

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Offline MaineWriter

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Re: Heath Ledger - News Accounts
« Reply #154 on: January 26, 2008, 10:04:15 am »
From The Age, in Australia:

Ledger's final journey home


Melissa Kent
January 27, 2008


FOR a man who in life was often at odds with the limelight, in death Heath Ledger found no reprieve yesterday.

In an anonymous pine crate, the Perth-born actor began his final journey home amid chaotic scenes, as photographers jostled with police outside a Manhattan funeral parlour.

Police were forced to hold back more than 50 members of the paparazzi and news crews as five employees from the Frank E. Campbell funeral home carefully loaded the crate into a black hearse. "Back up. Back up, please," a police officer yelled at swarming photographers.

Just hours earlier, Ledger's grieving parents Kim and Sally and older sister Kate arrived in New York from Perth to claim the body and attend a private memorial service. Ledger's former fiancee Michelle Williams, mother of his daughter Matilda, 2, also attended the service.

Yesterday the Ledger family and friends went public with their grief in death notices placed in The West Australian newspaper.

"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," his father wrote.

It is now five days since the Brokeback Mountain star, 28, was discovered by his masseuse lying unconscious face down on his bed in his Manhattan apartment surrounded by sleeping pills.

The mystery surrounding his death then deepened when the masseuse changed her story.

Diana Wolozin, 40, who had visited Ledger's flat on Tuesday afternoon for a massage, initially told police that she rang actress Mary-Kate Olsen twice before calling for an ambulance.

However, police now claim Ms Wolozin actually rang Olsen four times, spending nine minutes on three calls before she dialled the emergency services and ringing her again later.

According to investigators, an increasingly anxious Ms Wolozin told Olsen that Ledger was unconscious and she did not know what to do.

Investigators believe Ledger may have overdosed on prescription sleeping and anti-anxiety pills. Police, who have ruled out foul play, say that the calls to Olsen do not have any significant bearing on the investigation because they believe Ledger was already dead. But they have asked to see security video from the building.

Olsen, who is rumoured to have been casually dating Ledger for three months, yesterday broke her silence over the death.

"Heath was a friend. His death is a tragic loss. My thoughts are with his family during this very difficult time," she said in a statement.

Ledger's journey home to Perth is expected to take two days.

A public remembrance has also been proposed for Los Angeles in the coming days, Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith told reporters in New York, where he was visiting the United Nations.

"I understand there's a private memorial service today for family members. I also understand it's proposed there will be a public memorial service in Los Angeles later this week," Mr Smith said, adding that Australian consular officials had offered to help the family repatriate the body.

The family is still considering an offer from Guildford Grammar School, Ledger's Perth high school, to host a memorial service, a school spokesman said.

with AGENCIES

This story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/01/26/1201157739179.html
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Offline MaineWriter

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Re: Heath Ledger - News Accounts
« Reply #155 on: January 26, 2008, 10:07:15 am »
From the Associated Press:

Sales Spike for Heath Ledger Films


By JAKE COYLE – 15 hours ago

NEW YORK (AP) — Heath Ledger's death has spiked sales and interest in the late actor's films.

As often happens after the death of a famous actor or musician, many have sought to revisit or simply discover his work. Three of Ledger's movies charted among the 25 best-selling DVDs on Amazon.com as of Friday afternoon.

Most have been purchasing copies of Ledger's 1999 comedy "10 Things I Hate About You" and his 2001 period action flick "A Knight's Tale." After those films, Ledger pursued more dramatic, challenging roles, with 2005's "Brokeback Mountain" — the third most popular of his DVDs on Amazon — being roundly considered his finest achievement.

The 28-year-old Australia native died Tuesday in a Manhattan apartment. Toxicology tests to determine the cause of death will not be completed for at least a week.

Ledger's latest film to be released, the multi-persona Bob Dylan film "I'm Not There," has mostly completed its theatrical run. It played in only 61 theaters last weekend.

The lone theater it remains playing at in New York is the Film Forum, an art house and repertory theater that has been screening "I'm Not There" since it was released in November.

"The film is doing very well and as long as it does well, we'll play it," said Film Forum first-run programmer Karen Cooper. "I don't imagine that it's going to do better because of his loss. I think it's doing as well as it is because it's a very strong and interesting and unusual film."

The impact of Ledger's death on his last completed project, "The Dark Knight," remains to be seen. The latest installment in the "Batman" series, Ledger plays the Joker, and his dark, twisted take on the villain had been a focal point in the film's advance promotion.

Since Ledger's death, over seven million have flocked to YouTube to watch trailers of "The Dark Knight." Over one million have watched a clip of an interview where Ledger discusses the Joker role.

Warner Bros., the studio distributing "The Dark Knight," has not yet announced any change in schedule for the film, which is planned for a blockbuster summer release on July 18.

"Certainly `The Dark Knight' is one of the most anticipated films of the year," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box office tracker Media By Numbers. "I think Warners is just going to stay the course and keep marketing the film."

As for its box office performance, Dergarabedian suspects the film is so big that it "kind of transcends almost anything like this that might happen." He adds that the film's release will to a certain degree honor Ledger, whose performance was already expected to impress moviegoers.

At the time of his death, Ledger was in the midst of shooting "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus," a $30 million film directed by Terry Gilliam. The movie recently completed shooting scenes in London and was soon to resume production in Vancouver, British Columbia. Producers have not said whether the film will continue or not.

In the film, Ledger was to co-star with Christopher Plummer, Lily Cole and Tom Waits. Options open to producers — depending upon how many scenes Ledger had left to shoot — include recasting (and thus reshooting) his part, finishing it with the help of a body double (as was done after Brandon Lee died while making 1994's "The Crow") or simply canning production.

Ledger had also been preparing to make his feature directing debut by adapting Walter Tevis' novel "The Queen's Gambit."

In an interview last month with Variety, Gilliam told the trade paper: "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://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hwNoKpqUfow2XucrYxYpeu9F90egD8UD61DO0
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Offline Artiste

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Re: Heath Ledger - News Accounts
« Reply #156 on: January 26, 2008, 10:12:59 am »
What is this strange connection between Heath and an actress who was called 4 times by masseuse?? - asks Tom Hays.
Is it strange... may I ask?

I am refering to this article:
Quote
By Tom Hays, The Associated Press


NEW YORK - The masseuse who discovered Heath Ledger's body spent nine minutes making three calls to "Full House" actress Mary-Kate Olsen before she dialled 911 for help, police said Thursday. The masseuse called Olsen a fourth time after paramedics arrived.
The details about the calls do not have any significant bearing on the investigation because authorities believe Ledger was dead at that point and have ruled out foul play. But they paint a more precise picture of the bizarre series of events surrounding Ledger's final moments.
Police originally said the masseuse made two calls to Olsen in seeking her help about what to do, but revised it to four after taking a closer look at Ledger's phone records. The masseuse, Diana Wolozin, apparently knew both Ledger and Olsen and that they were friends; all the calls were made from Ledger's cellphone.
At 1 p.m. Tuesday, Ledger's housekeeper went into his bedroom to change a light bulb, saw him sleeping and heard what she thought was snoring. The masseuse showed up for Ledger's appointment at about 2:45 p.m. and knocked on his door and called his cellphone at 3 p.m. to wake him up.
After setting up her massage table, she tried to wake Ledger and realized something was wrong.
That was when the episode took a strange turn.
At 3:17 p.m., she made a call to the Olsen twin that lasted 49 seconds. At 3:20 p.m., she made another call - this one lasting a minute and 39 seconds. She made a third call at 3:24, which lasted 21 seconds.
She called 911 at 3:26 p.m.
Before this frenzy, Olsen, who was in California, summoned her personal security guards to the apartment to help with the situation, the NYPD said.
Paramedics arrived at 3:33 p.m., and actually went up in the elevator to the apartment with Olsen's security guards. Paramedics did not allow the security guards into the bedroom where Ledger died, and they declared him dead at 3:36 p.m. - 19 minutes after the first call to Olsen.
The masseuse called Olsen a final time at 3:34 p.m. The duration of that call was unknown.
Before moving to Manhattan, Ledger lived with then-girlfriend Michelle Williams - who played his wife in "Brokeback Mountain" - in Brooklyn, and the couple had a daughter, the now two-year-old Matilda. The couple split last year.
Williams and Matilda returned to their Brooklyn home Wednesday evening from Sweden. The 27-year-old actress had been there shooting scenes for the upcoming film "Mammoth," said Martin Stromberg, a spokesman for film production company Memfis Film.
A gaggle of reporters gathered outside the funeral home in search for news about Ledger's funeral but Ledger's publicist, Mara Buxbaum, said Thursday no details on funeral or burial arrangements would be shared with the media. A long line of celebrity deaths have been handled by the same funeral home over the last century, from Judy Garland, John Lennon and Notorious B.I.G. to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Leona Helmsley.
An Australian newspaper reported Friday that Ledger would likely be buried in his hometown Perth, in western Australia, after a star-studded funeral service in Los Angeles. Australian model Sophie Ward said she was planning to fly to the United States on Friday for Ledger's funeral service.
"I think we're going to L.A.," Ward told the West Australian newspaper for its Friday edition.
"This is just a funeral service. He'll probably be buried in Perth."
....

Was this articlce placed here before?

Hugs!!

Offline MaineWriter

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Re: Heath Ledger - News Accounts
« Reply #157 on: January 26, 2008, 10:20:46 am »
from MTV:

Jan 25 2008 6:15 PM EST

Heath Ledger's Death: Awards Shows Struggling With How To Pay Tribute


Almost immediately after the sudden death of Oscar-nominated actor Heath Ledger on Tuesday, tributes from colleagues, friends, family members and fans began to flood in. Many have been moved to honor the man some called one of the best actors of his generation.

Now, three days after Ledger's death, many awards shows are trying to figure out how best to do the same thing.

"Something's gonna be done," a representative for the Independent Spirit Awards, who did not want to be named, told MTV News. "We just don't yet know what."

A previous ISA Best Male Lead nominee for "Brokeback Mountain," Ledger was slated to receive the Robert Altman Award with director Todd Haynes and the cast of "I'm Not There," a film in which Ledger was one of six actors to play the role of Bob Dylan. The 28-year-old actor was to be among the very first recipients of the award, named last year in honor of director Robert Altman.

Ledger's presence at the ceremony, which he attended last year with then-fiancee Michelle Williams, will be sorely missed and appropriately noted, sources said.

"Obviously it's on everybody's minds over here. It's been discussed: 'What are we going to do about Heath?' " another ISA source, who also did not want to be named, revealed to MTV News. "We're figuring out what to do, but we're working on something. Luckily, we've got a month."

Compounding the delicate matter for the ISA is the fact that Ledger is not the only nominee to pass away. Also up for an award is writer/director Adrienne Shelly, who was murdered in New York in November 2006. A nominee for Best Screenplay ("Waitress"), Shelly and Ledger will be similarly honored, according to the ISA.

While the Independent Spirit Awards has time on its hands in composing an appropriate tribute, the Screen Actors Guild Awards is not so fortunate. Though not up for a SAG Award this year, Ledger, a two-time nominee — again, for his work on "Brokeback Mountain" — should be honored at this year's ceremony if time permits, a source told MTV News. A representative for the awards show said they were working furiously to insert Ledger into a video-memoriam package, although it's been complicated by the fact that he died so close to the show's airdate, which is Sunday.

Also planning to acknowledge Ledger is the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Awards, a show that honors individuals and projects for their positive representations of the gay community. Along with co-star Jake Gyllenhaal, Ledger was lauded for his portrayal of a homosexual ranch hand in Ang Lee's "Brokeback Mountain."

"GLAAD intends on acknowledging Heath Ledger's death at the 19th annual GLAAD Media Awards," publicist Nick Adams told MTV News. "We are still in the early stage of production, and do not know at this time what form that will take."

Representatives for the Academy Awards could not be reached by press time.

The most interesting tribute, however, may not come from colleagues. In the wake of Ledger's death, the Web site WhySoSerious.com — which for months has been the primary location of online viral marketing for "The Dark Knight" — was updated recently with a black ribbon. Ledger recently completed his role as the Joker in the highly anticipated sequel.

http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1580366/20080125/story.jhtml#
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Offline BelAir

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Re: Heath Ledger - News Accounts
« Reply #158 on: January 26, 2008, 11:38:09 am »
I'm just wondering if anyone has the full text of the messages that Heath's family wrote.  I know various articles have all quoted excerpts, but I don't think I've seen the full text listed... ?
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Offline MaineWriter

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Re: Heath Ledger - News Accounts
« Reply #159 on: January 26, 2008, 11:46:15 am »
I'm just wondering if anyone has the full text of the messages that Heath's family wrote.  I know various articles have all quoted excerpts, but I don't think I've seen the full text listed... ?

You can see them here:

http://www.thewest.com.au/printfriendly.aspx?ContentID=55984
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