Author Topic: Heath Ledger - News Accounts  (Read 1144392 times)

Offline MaineWriter

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Re: Heath Ledger - News Accounts
« Reply #840 on: March 14, 2008, 07:34:50 am »

REM pay tribute to Heath Ledger

REM frontman Michael Stipe has paid an emotional tribute to Heath Ledger by dedicating one of the actor's favourite songs to him at a gig in Texas.

Stipe dedicated their track 'Until the Day Is Done' to Ledger in front of a sold-out crowd at Stubb's Barbeque during their set at Austin, Texas' South By Southwest festival on Wednesday.

A visibly upset Stipe announced, "This is dedicated to Heath Ledger who loved this song," before shouting at the end, "Goodbye Heath, we loved you!"

As well as Stipe's moving homage to Ledger, REM used the 90-minute set to preview songs from their forthcoming album 'Accelerate', which will be released in Ireland at the end of this month.


Story from RTÉ Entertainment:
http://www.rte.ie/arts/2008/0313/rem.html
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Offline MaineWriter

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Re: Heath Ledger - News Accounts
« Reply #841 on: March 14, 2008, 07:37:13 am »
Heath Ledger's Joker makes dramatic entrance in 'Dark Knight'

12 hours ago

LAS VEGAS — This time out, there's no vat of chemicals to explain how Batman's greatest enemy came to be the twisted sociopath known as the Joker.

Heath Ledger's Joker springs full-blown in this summer's "The Dark Knight," the sequel to 2005's "Batman Begins" that was previewed for theatre owners Thursday with a clip showing the new movie's opening sequence.

Unlike 1989's "Batman," in which the deranged, disfigured clown appearance of Jack Nicholson's Joker resulted from a dip in chemical goo, "The Dark Knight" starts right in with the bad guy in all his psychopathic glory.

"I believe whatever doesn't kill you simply makes you stranger," Ledger's depraved Joker cryptically tells an accomplice in the opening scenes, in which he pulls off a daring bank robbery.

In an interview at ShoWest, a theatre-owners' convention where distributor Warner Bros. showed off footage of "The Dark Knight" and the rest of its summer lineup, director Christopher Nolan said it was almost inevitable the sequel would pit Christian Bale's Batman against the Joker.

"The psychopathic clown, that's an icon to stand with the guy with the ears and cape," Nolan said.

"It's just a wonderful visual relationship and it's a terrifying image."

Long before Ledger's death of an accidental prescription drug overdose in January, the marketing of the movie had focused on the villain's rise to power and his creepy appearance.

There had been speculation among critics and fans that the studio and filmmakers might take a different approach to selling the film in light of Ledger's death but the marketing has gone on as originally planned.

"I think he'd be very pleased to see we're just moving ahead as is," Nolan said.

"If you try to honour somebody, you honour them by respecting their work and putting it out there for as many people to see. He was immensely proud of the work he did on the film. I feel a great burden to present that in an undistorted form."

"The Dark Knight" is due in theatres July 18.

The last time producer Charles Roven saw Ledger was when he showed the actor the very footage that was screened at ShoWest.

Fans have been buzzing over the anarchic style Ledger brings to the role in the movie's trailer but the actor himself was utterly taken by what he saw of himself on screen, Roven said.

"He was just blown away by his own performance," Roven said.

"He said: 'Can I see it again?' So he was really, really thrilled."

Bale - reprising his role as the wealthy Bruce Wayne, who moonlights as the emotionally tormented crimefighter - said he watched the footage Thursday with a heaviness of heart over Ledger. But Bale said he hopes the movie will serve as a testament.

"I hope that this can be seen as a celebration of his work," Bale said.

"He did a phenomenal job. It was a real joy working with the man."

"It was a joy knowing him, as well. I liked him a great deal and I liked also how seriously he took his work."

http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5hhmxi4K0fJfHHpIeU4xW3F59taZg
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Offline Brown Eyes

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Re: Heath Ledger - News Accounts
« Reply #842 on: March 18, 2008, 01:10:04 pm »
Heath Ledger's Joker makes dramatic entrance in 'Dark Knight'

12 hours ago

LAS VEGAS — This time out, there's no vat of chemicals to explain how Batman's greatest enemy came to be the twisted sociopath known as the Joker.

Heath Ledger's Joker springs full-blown in this summer's "The Dark Knight," the sequel to 2005's "Batman Begins" that was previewed for theatre owners Thursday with a clip showing the new movie's opening sequence.

Unlike 1989's "Batman," in which the deranged, disfigured clown appearance of Jack Nicholson's Joker resulted from a dip in chemical goo, "The Dark Knight" starts right in with the bad guy in all his psychopathic glory.

"I believe whatever doesn't kill you simply makes you stranger," Ledger's depraved Joker cryptically tells an accomplice in the opening scenes, in which he pulls off a daring bank robbery.

In an interview at ShoWest, a theatre-owners' convention where distributor Warner Bros. showed off footage of "The Dark Knight" and the rest of its summer lineup, director Christopher Nolan said it was almost inevitable the sequel would pit Christian Bale's Batman against the Joker.

"The psychopathic clown, that's an icon to stand with the guy with the ears and cape," Nolan said.

"It's just a wonderful visual relationship and it's a terrifying image."

Long before Ledger's death of an accidental prescription drug overdose in January, the marketing of the movie had focused on the villain's rise to power and his creepy appearance.

There had been speculation among critics and fans that the studio and filmmakers might take a different approach to selling the film in light of Ledger's death but the marketing has gone on as originally planned.

"I think he'd be very pleased to see we're just moving ahead as is," Nolan said.

"If you try to honour somebody, you honour them by respecting their work and putting it out there for as many people to see. He was immensely proud of the work he did on the film. I feel a great burden to present that in an undistorted form."

"The Dark Knight" is due in theatres July 18.

The last time producer Charles Roven saw Ledger was when he showed the actor the very footage that was screened at ShoWest.

Fans have been buzzing over the anarchic style Ledger brings to the role in the movie's trailer but the actor himself was utterly taken by what he saw of himself on screen, Roven said.

"He was just blown away by his own performance," Roven said.

"He said: 'Can I see it again?' So he was really, really thrilled."

Bale - reprising his role as the wealthy Bruce Wayne, who moonlights as the emotionally tormented crimefighter - said he watched the footage Thursday with a heaviness of heart over Ledger. But Bale said he hopes the movie will serve as a testament.

"I hope that this can be seen as a celebration of his work," Bale said.

"He did a phenomenal job. It was a real joy working with the man."

"It was a joy knowing him, as well. I liked him a great deal and I liked also how seriously he took his work."

http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5hhmxi4K0fJfHHpIeU4xW3F59taZg


Heya,

This exact story just popped up as an entertainment headline on the CNN website.  In this case it has a different title, but the story's the same.

Crew honors Ledger by not distorting Joker role
http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Movies/03/14/ledger.batman.ap/index.html

the world was asleep to our latent fuss - bowie

Offline Aloysius J. Gleek

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Re: Heath Ledger - News Accounts
« Reply #843 on: March 19, 2008, 12:40:50 pm »

Heath Ledger's Joker makes dramatic entrance in 'Dark Knight'

"He said: 'Can I see it again?' So he was really, really thrilled."


I love it!
"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 Kerry

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Re: Heath Ledger - News Accounts
« Reply #844 on: March 22, 2008, 08:14:27 pm »

This has been reported here before, but here it is from an Australian perspective; i.e., Heath's homeland; as reported in the (Sydney) Sunday Telegraph on Sun 23 March 2008. These stories sadden me so much.

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,23417337-5001021,00.html

Was Heath Ledger only worth $145,000?

By Colleen Egan

The father of Hollywood actress Michelle Williams has challenged the grieving family of Heath Ledger to publicly state the value of their son's fortune.

Larry Williams, who is one of the world's best known stock market traders, said he was perplexed that documents filed in a New York court listed Ledger's assets at just $145,000.

In an escalation of the public attack on Kim Ledger in the wake of his superstar son's death, Mr Williams issued the blunt challenge through The Sunday Telegraph.

"It's real simple: just come clean with everything,'' he said.

"It's so easy to resolve this. He just has to say where the income went and where the assets are.

"I'm certain that there is grieving in the Ledger family but (lawyers for) Kim have already filed papers in New York, so it seems like it's time to be transparent about it.

"I have no idea what Heath Ledger was worth (but) they certainly haven't stated all of the assets to the court.''

Mr Williams conceded that he did not have a close relationship with his daughter and that he was not in constant contact with her.

However, he said he was certain that lawyers for Michelle, her toddler daughter Matilda and the Ledgers did not "sit down and sort all this out'' before the will was filed in New York.

Heath Ledger, 28, died in New York on January 22 of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs.
He doted on Matilda but was separated from Ms Williams, who joined the Ledger family in Perth for a memorial and wake on Cottesloe beach on February 9.

Documents obtained by The Sunday Telegraph indicate that papers were filed by US lawyers acting for the Ledger family at 4.07pm on February 29.

The 2003 will names Ledger's father, mother and sisters as the only beneficiaries.

However, the New York documents also acknowledge Heath's only known offspring, Matilda Rose, 2, as an interested party.

They declare that "the total value of their shares of the estate will be $145,000'', with furniture and fixtures worth $20,000, a Toyota Prius worth $25,000 and $100,000 in miscellaneous bank accounts.

The Australian co-executors nominated by Heath Ledger's will are Mark Dyson and Rob Collins, a Perth accountant who has been a close financial adviser of Kim Ledger's for many years.

Scrutiny of the Ledger will was sparked by a public warning this month from Kim Ledger's estranged brothers about the management of the $2 million estate of their late grandfather, Sir Frank Ledger.

Mr Ledger took over the elderly relative's affairs in 1986 and borrowed against his assets, leaving the estate in debt by the time the WA Supreme Court removed him as administrator of Sir Frank's will in 1994.

Mr Ledger signed a deed in 1998 to repay $1 million but the family claims the money was never paid.

Repeated attempts to contact Mr Ledger, who is a well-known racing driver and mechanical engineer, have failed.

He has not responded to the controversy sparked by his brothers' comments, except to say that Matilda would be "taken care of'' and that he hoped his family would show respect at a time of grief.

Mr Williams, who is a colourful public speaker and high-selling author whose short-term stock-trading skills are legendary in the financial world, has a separate legal battle on the other side of Australia.

He is stranded in Sydney, fighting extradition proceedings to the US on charges that he allegedly tried to evade $US1.5 million ($1.9 million) in tax from 1999 to 2001.

Mr Williams said he would not be pursuing the Ledger family on his granddaughter's behalf and would leave any challenge to the will to his daughter. However, he questioned why a will made in 2003, before Ledger met Ms Williams, was lodged in New York just a month after the death.

"It's my understanding that you have six months to file (will documents) in the United States so there was no rush,'' he said.

"There was plenty of time to sit down with lawyers for Michelle. It's not the way I would have handled it.''

A New York judge granted temporary administration of the estate to Mr Dyson, Mr Collins and an American adviser "provided that the authority shall be limited to their taking such action as is necessary to vacate the premises rented by the decedent (deceased person).''

The documents stated that the will would also be submitted to a court in Australia for probate.

In what appeared to be an error due to ignorance of Australian geography, the case was remitted to the "State of Victoria, County of Melbourne, W.Australia''. 

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mvansand76

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Re: Heath Ledger - News Accounts
« Reply #845 on: March 23, 2008, 05:54:00 am »
What a terribly sick man he is!  >:(

Poor, poor, poor Michelle, to have a father like that....

Offline Kerry

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Re: Heath Ledger - News Accounts
« Reply #846 on: March 23, 2008, 08:31:47 am »
What a terribly sick man he is!  >:(

Poor, poor, poor Michelle, to have a father like that....


I'm beginning to have severe doubts about Kim Ledger's integrity, Mel . . .

"Scrutiny of the Ledger will was sparked by a public warning this month from Kim Ledger's estranged brothers about the management of the $2 million estate of their late grandfather, Sir Frank Ledger.

Mr Ledger took over the elderly relative's affairs in 1986 and borrowed against his assets, leaving the estate in debt by the time the WA Supreme Court removed him as administrator of Sir Frank's will in 1994.

Mr Ledger signed a deed in 1998 to repay $1 million but the family claims the money was never paid.

Repeated attempts to contact Mr Ledger, who is a well-known racing driver and mechanical engineer, have failed."
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Offline Berit

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Re: Heath Ledger - News Accounts
« Reply #847 on: March 23, 2008, 11:52:31 am »
Unfortunately, money is the roots to many family feud and many tears....I try to avoid them the best I can...... :laugh:

Never believe the papers......they just want to make.....money.

Berit
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Offline Brown Eyes

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Re: Heath Ledger - News Accounts
« Reply #848 on: March 27, 2008, 05:21:40 pm »
This story about the Dark Knight is currently featured on the MSNBC website:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23831157/
Quote
Ledger’s death fans mania for ‘Dark Knight’
Batman film may be biggest movie in history featuring posthumous role


updated 2 hours, 13 minutes ago
LOS ANGELES - Heath Ledger’s frenzied reinvention of the Joker had fans and colleagues buzzing. His dreadful clown face was seen online by millions, and stood as the goosebump-raising image upon which nearly all early marketing of “The Dark Knight” hinged.

All this, while Ledger was still alive.

Now the Batman archfiend stands as Ledger’s next-to-last performance. And while it’s not the first, “The Dark Knight” has already emerged as arguably the biggest movie featuring a posthumous role in Hollywood history.

Major stars including James Dean, Clark Gable, Carole Lombard, Spencer Tracy and Will Rogers had high-profile films released after they died. The deaths of others — notably Bruce Lee and his son, Brandon — created an eerie allure that heightened interest in their final films.

Yet none had the magnitude of a comic-book franchise with an illustrious 70-year history, and movies in those eras did not arrive with the fanfare of today. Certainly none had the advance word of a delirious, demented turn by an actor completely reimagining of one of Hollywood’s greatest villains.

“It was punk, it was ‘A Clockwork Orange, it was druggie. It was this kind of fantastic, anarchic look to him. This character who had absolutely no rules whatsoever,” said Christian Bale, who returns as rich guy Bruce Wayne and his crime-fighting alter-ego Batman. “That’s not like any Joker I’ve ever seen before, what I saw Heath do.”

A tribute to Ledger
As the sequel to 2005 blockbuster “Batman Begins,” “The Dark Knight” already was one of this year’s most-anticipated films. Opening July 18, the film’s must-see status has only risen since Ledger died of an accidental prescription drug overdose Jan. 22.
 
“More people will come to see it because of his death,” said Bill Ramey, founder of the fan Web site Batman-on-Film.com. “No doubt some people may be apprehensive about seeing it because there may be a little ghoulish factor about it. But I’m betting that more people now kind of look at it as a tribute to him, and the biggest tribute you could give someone is to go see it and enjoy his performance.”

When Dean died in a car wreck in 1955, studio executives lamented “there goes the movie,” figuring audiences would be scared away from his final two films, said Wes Gehring, who teaches film at Ball State University. To the contrary: “Rebel Without a Cause” and “Giant” were huge hits.

In today’s anything-goes celebrity climate, it’s doubtful anyone in Hollywood ever felt Ledger’s death might hurt the box-office prospects for “The Dark Knight,” Gehring said.

“It’s a tacky thing to say, but what would have been a negative in the past now could be a positive thing,” Gehring said. “I think we’ve done a flip-flop on pop culture. Now it might actually be a selling point for a movie where you say, ‘So and so’s dead. Let’s go see his movie.’ What might have been a hindrance in 1935 now won’t be a problem.”

‘More poignancy in moments’

In the days after Ledger’s death, fans debated how it might affect the film.
 
Would distributor Warner Bros. make changes or even delay its release? Would the advertising shift away from its early focus on Ledger’s demonic Joker and his mocking taunt, “Why so serious?” Would the Joker’s ghastly persona disturb fans? Would viewers be able to set thoughts of his death aside as they watch his performance?

“Of course, you find more poignancy in moments, and I’m very, very aware he’s not here with us,” said Bale in an interview shortly after the film’s opening segment — in which Ledger’s Joker orchestrates a bank heist — was screened in mid-March at ShoWest, a convention for theater owners. It was the first time Bale had seen the sequence, and Ledger’s death weighed on his mind.

“I can’t deny that kind of threw me watching that just now,” Bale said. “You can’t help but have that different feeling when I’m viewing it, especially since he’s somebody I was in touch with until just recently and believed would be a future friend.”
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Offline Penthesilea

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Re: Heath Ledger - News Accounts
« Reply #849 on: March 28, 2008, 05:03:11 am »
Quote
featuring a posthumous role

I just can't get used to this kind of words. It still hurts.  :'(