I have no problem admitting that I thought Heath Ledger had an amazing talent; working up to being one of the greats! However, I have never seen Brokeback Mountain.. Not that I am homophobic, or have anything against them being portrayed in a movie, I actually just never really got around to it. Sadly, current events will probably be my motivation to add it to the top of my list of "Must See".



A Knight's Tale is a great movie, despite the sappy underlying "love story" and maybe because of the inclusion of so many inappropriate-to-the-era musical numbers (Bowie and Queen stand out in memory) - Click on the link to see the trailer, it proves the point about the music. I wouldn't put 10 Things I Hate about You in my top 10 list, but I have seen it more times than any straight guy should - I blame both past girlfriends and hangovers. If I flipped past it tomorrow, chances are good that I'd stop and watch it. And it's not just Julia Stiles's micro-boobies that keep bringing me back. I would like to say I rank The Patriot among my movie favorites but in all honestly, I have never had a chance to sit down and watch it through. The parts I have seen, however, always make me want to watch more- It's the acting and the story; very captivating - although historically inaccurate. And The Brothers Grimm cast Heath alongside another great, Matt Damon. Its setting of a magical, medieval period filled with enough reality to make it believable was perfect (though I think most critics disagree with that assessment).

And then there is his upcoming role as playing the role originally immortalized by Jack Nicholson, The Joker in the Batman sequel. I have no doubt his presence will help make that film as memorable as its predecessor. But that will be the worlds last Heath-fix.

On topic of Jack Nicholson, as if he isn't odd enough:

Heath is no longer with us.

When I first saw the headline, I was sure that it was just poorly worded or I must have misunderstood. And then I read the story.

After reading the story on multiple online news sources, I realized it was true. There was no mistake.



I didn't know him personally and his death really doesn't change anything in my life, but I'm still saddened. If he had been a drug abusing, self-destructive alcoholic (what the hell is Britney still doing alive?!?), his loss would have had less of an impact on me. But he wasn't. And he has a 2 year-old daughter who now will grow up without ever knowing her father.



Very sad.

He was quoted saying something along the lines of he couldn't "shake the joker role"

So that Nicholson quote isn't a shocker.

I don't know WTH Nicholson is talking about cuz he never shook off that role either.

RIP Heath.

No, Heath said he couldn't shake it.

Yeah, I know but I was refering to how Jack never shook off that role to this day. The man is STILL a joker.

Update:
TMZ has confirmed that they found a $20 bill in his room roled up "suspiciously" with unconfirmed powdered substance.

Not to get too far off topic, but I don't think Jack Nicholson was much different post-Batman than he was pre-Batman.

Its a tragic loss for his family and for those who knew him, but it is also a sad day for those who were fans of his who have felt like they knew the man through his performances.

I can understand how it might be hard to shake the Joker..., playing someone that evil and reckless, even though its an over the top almost caricature of a human being, for any great length must weigh heavily on a persons psyche. You often hear actors when they play a character that is very emotional or disturbing often have a hard time of leaving the roll behind them. This might be a case of that.

Thank God he shook off his gay cowboy role though.

Bison, I jacked this for you.

I still find Nicholson's Joker to be the more terrifying.

The God Hates Fags nutballs are planning to protest his funeral/memorial services.

>> LINK <<

It's pretty ironic that this is one of the more recent pictures released of Heath Ledger on the set of his new movie:



P.S. - Save the whiny fucking comments about how "that picture is tasteless" for someone less intelligent. The man was a talented artist, and his art is what is portrayed in that photo. Nothing more, and nothing less.

Heath? Heath who?

Cesar Romero didn't have any problems.

Really? Thats pretty interesting. I must say I am pretty jelouse of you though man. How did you con Nolan into letting you see TDK 6 months early?


lucky mother f'er


anyway this is Bale talking a little bit about Ledgers performance in TDK. It also gives some hints about what everyone else is talking about with the character being very dark.

from moviehole...

I love A Knight's tale. Love it.

I'll bet he's awesome in Batman too.

Color me sad.

If he wasn't a movie star, nobody would give two shits. If you read in your daily paper that some guy was found dead in an apartment of your local city, you wouldn't care about his work at the Piggly Wiggly or his illegitimate children. It's hypocritcal to pay such attention to this guy because he made a few movies. Sympathy to his family and friends, but come the fuck on already with all the tributes to somebody no more important than you or me. Would the papers be talking about you?

If my brother died and he wasn't my brother and I'd never met him...would I be sad when he died?
Stupid question.


Yeah, he was just an actor. And his daughter was born out of wedlock...but, because of the roles he was cast in and - arguably - the skill with which he filled those roles, he is memorable and his loss is met with sorrow.

Don't blame him that nobody will attend your funeral. Mine, like Heath's, will be packed with people I don't care about.

Yeah but he was a movie star. And your point is wrong. If the guy at the Piggly Wiggly (which I am assuming is some kind of food establishment) gave me great service and refilled my drink on time then when I cam across that article in the paper I would be mildly saddened by his passing.

If it was someone I had never met, heard of, knew existed then no it wouldnt effect me. However since Ledger did entertain us and bring joy (however small or grand the amount may be) it makes people sad.

"If Joe Dimagio wasnt a baseball player nobody beides his family and friends would have cared when he died." No shit but he was a ballplayer just like Heath was an actor.

I guess that means we shouldnt worry about how we would have reacted if Ledger wasnt a movie star.

You guys still play on the fact that you are sad because he was a movie star and he is dead. How about this...in death, we are all the same. So why not celebrate everybody's life equally? Just because he jumped around on camera to entertain you does not make him better than the bagger at your grocery store. Yet mind fucked people in this world somehow worship these things. Actors and sports icons are useless, mind numbing entertainment. They bring nothing to the table in the scheme of life except an hour of entertainment at a time, and you still have to pay them $20M for that. Where the hell were the tributes to all of the inventors and scientists and explorers that have done things to actually better our miserable lives? Oh, nobody knew they died because they were too busy watching cowboys fuck. Move on already. Death sucks, I'm not minimizing it, but I think immortilizing somebdy because of a good film or a good game is ridiculous.

I swear its like talking to a wall sometimes. How you can consider someone that is extreamly talented and uses that talent to entertain other people useless is beyond me. Maybe its just because you dont like movies or sports or music. In your mind I guess the only people who are valuable in this world are inventors, scientists and explorers.

I have been basically counting the seconds for The Dark Knight to come out. The biggest reason was because I couldnt wait to see Ledger's portrayal of The Joker. I've been following the clues with all of the viral sites and stuff like that. I've been a comic book fan my whole life, Batman has always been my favorite character and Joker has always been my favorite villan. With this flick I think that not only have the gotten it right with those characters but they may even have made it better. This movie is a big deal to me.

If someone can provide other human beings with that amount of excitement and joy then I'm sorry but they are not useless.


btw if you feel the need to call me a loser based on my love for comics and superheros and such then go for it but each one of those things can be taken out and subsituted with music or paintings or poetry depending on the person.

I acctually feel bad for you. It must be a pretty miserable existence to go about thinking that film, sports, music, art, poetry ect is useless.


EDIT: This the last thing I am going to say about this aspect of his passing. How in the world can some of the people on here tell you what you can or cant be sad about? I can squash a bug on accident or hell even drop a drinking glass on the floor and be sad about it. Telling someone that it is impossible to be sad about any subject whatsoever is a retarted notion.

I think he is playing cards with Tupac and Elvis.




Sorry if this is a double post. but I just read this and need to reply.

January 21 Martin Luther King Jr. Day
May 26 Memorial Day
October 13 Columbus Day
November 11 Veterans Day


we do have tribute for people that have done stuff for us, they are called "holidays" I doubt there will be a Heath Ledger day

I posted in the other chat, although it seems to have went to Hell, so I didn't bother saying anything along the lines of sympathy.

I love A Knight's Tale. That's when I found out about him. Then I saw Ten Things I Hate About You later on, and it's an alright movie. Like the scene where he sings. Never seen all of the Patriot either, but it looks good. brokeback mountain draws a lot of negative attention and criticism, but I've always wanted to see it. The rest of his movies, I'm sure I'll have to check out at least once now. The Dark Knight looks amazing, and I was going to see it anyways. It's unfortunate that there's some movies that will never happen because he won't bring a character to life. i liked that he picked some roles without thinking of money.

I do feel bad for his daughter, but it happens all the time. I don't know if she'll ever have a career in acting or anything, but we'll se what happens. It's not that the death made me mourn his death. It just really made me think about my life more than anyone's death that I can ever remember, and I'm not sure why.

Who?




No, I kid. I know who he is and I've seen some of his movies, but he must have been a fantastic actor because I can't think of any role he played. In a way, that is a complement because his star didn't overshadow his work. To be fair, the only movie I do recall him to have been in was "Broke Back Mountain." But I couldn't bring myself to watch that one where a cowboy was heard to say "I can't quit you" to another cowboy. That's both jive (in any lovestory type movie) and gay (in any homoerotic porn movie) enough to make me want to OD.

It's funny...But, not only do I think that my life has changed as a direct result of Heath Ledger's death but I also think that in a very real way a LOT of people's lives have changed...Now, I am NOT simply saying that the obvious loss of a talented actor (and the future characters that he might have brought to life) has lessened "our" ability to understand "our" world/times/selves through the stories or tales that he might have added his unique acting abilities to...

No...Because of his seemingly sudden and pointless death, I question MY mortality....And I think that that is what is at the core of the...shock?...that is being shown around the world...This wasn't supposed to happen to such an ordinary guy (Yes...I know that it is presumptuous of me to qualify his life...But, it sure seems to me that I heard a lot more about Colin/Russel/Stalone/Mel and any number of other Hollywood actors and their inability to avoid or ego-driven NEED to be in the public eye and consciousness)....The long and short of it is Heath seemed, at least outwardly, normal or as normal as a name actor can be, given his circumstances...Which brings me back to my original point...I am affected by his death...I was shocked by how banal his death seemed to be...I am once again walking that dark mental path of my own sense of mortality....And I think that I am not the only one doing so...

I both pity and wish nothing but good will to Heath's daughter....She had a hell of an actor for a father...And we ALL can only wonder as to what might have been....

You hit the nail on the head.

Also, have you ever used a period by itself as opposed to an ellipsis before?

if it takes a mediocre actor taking too many pills for you to "walk the dark mental path of your own sense of mortality", you should just end it now...

150,000 people die per day...thats around 100 in the time it took me to type this...and guess what...you know all those people as well as you knew "heath"...

what a bunch of drama queens

Ok...Let me try to simplify this for the hard-of-thinking...First, it was the banal and sudden death of HL that "reminded" me (and I think others, as well) of a TRUTH of life that most do NOT think about on a daily basis...That truth being one's own sense of mortality...HL's death affected me in a very visceral way BECAUSE of the unexpectedness of it...

Now, as for your OPINION of HL's acting abilities...Opinions are like assholes..Everybody's got one....

On to your (weak and and callus) point about all of the other unsung deaths in the world...Look, simply put...I don't know them...I DID know a girl named Robin who got a claw-hammer rammed into her 16-year-old head because she got a lift from the wrong psycho one day(not me, before you ask..I prefer a ball-peen hammer) ...I also DID know a work buddy of mine that died of acute lead poisoning as a result of two .45 slugs shot into his chest as he was having a beer on his front porch one fine Saturday afternoon...So, yes..death is a part of life..Your life (such that it is), my life etc...BUT...It is NOT often that I am reminded about how sudden it can come...This was my point...

Now, in closing...FUCK YOU!!!

P.S. I like ellipses...It's really that simple...

Amen.

If I weren't so lazy, I'd start a debate about it.

You know what has made me question my mortality? When the doctors told me last year to call my children to come and visit me in the hospital where children aren't allowed to visit. Or when we were told our little girl wouldn't live past 18 months. Or when one of my brother's high school friends was gunned down at the bus stop. Hmmm, could be the death of a friend from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning. One nurse I worked with was 28 years old, gorgeous, happily married and had a little boy...killed in a car accident. Another nurse died from a freak moped accident.

I'm pretty sure those were the "goddamn, I could die at anytime" moments.

It's not that Heath was more important than all those people. It's because humans tend to connect at an emotional level to those they make a connection with. That's the nature of celebrities. They are exposed to millions of people and some of them make a connection to millions of people at an intellectual, artistic, inspirational, and emotional level. That's why Heath is everywhere. It's because he WAS already their to people at an emotional, inspirational, and artistic level. People connected to him.

Some people are just more important to some people than others, but this in only based on an individual's perspective. Not a general belief. Almost everyone can agree that although they don't know all the children in the world their own children are more important to them than any other. This is natural.

I'm going to stop even trying to understand. I just don't get it.

For the life of me, I cannot comprehend how anyone can be so personally affected by this.

Because they admired the man, his talent, and his work. People appreciated his acting and his perspective on is career on not trying to be a pretty boy but instead, taking on rolls that were very extreme, hence gay cowboy and the Joker. You don't have to know anyone personally to appreciate their work and contribution to society at any level whether it be social, political, medical, technological, and in this case...entertainmentwise.

Like I said, I agree that people die everyday, but this happens while none of us are paying attention nor are aware of it. Heath lived his life publicly so that's why his death stands out. AGAIN, this does not make him more important nor superior to anyone else. The value of a person's life is not based on the quantity of people that knew him/her but on any people or individual that appreciates that person.

unexpected by you, around 50,000 people died since my last post...that was fucking unexpected wasnt it...and guess what...i could have been one of them!>>!>!>>!! OH NO!>>!!>>!

do mid level actors really have to die to remind you that you are mortal and can walk out of your house tomorrow, slip, and die?

how about, instead of being a homo, you just dont worry about it...you resolve that you will die at some point, and there isnt a whole lot you can do about it...then, when giovanni rigsby kicks it, instead of it causing you to contemplate the world as you know it, you will just say "huh...thats too bad...i liked boiler room"...


also, if you "connect" with actors, you are a loser...100% they do not connect with you...you might identify with a character they play, but "connecting" is just one step over the "my life sucks" line...

You're confusing people who appreciate and relate to other people they've never met with fanatics and obssesive stalkers. There is no evidence that I am obsessed with Heather Ledger in anyway. Like I said, you don't have to know anyone personally to relate to their situations, personality, lifestyle, culture, etc.

I think that I can see both sides of this argument/discussion or whatever this is. Up until 2 years ago I had never really lost any family member or been witness to a friend's death. By 'witness to' I mean they were an active part of my life at the time of their death. But in the course of a year and a half I lost 3 grandparents and an uncle and it did change my outlook on life and death and the mortality that we all face. I especially began thinking about my parents and how one day I'll lose them. Or they'll lose me and I'll have to make sure I have somebody there to erase my HDs on all of my computers. Regardless I realized that mourning someone I didn't know was a waste of grief. I have enough grief in my own life to take on somebody else's.

Heath's death, or any celebrity's death (actors only - political or religious figures are different for me) have very little impact on my life. I was shocked at his death because it was unexpected. Big deal - a lot of people die unexpectedly. But I was and am seriously looking for to Batman coming out so I was concerned that it might affect the production of the movie. did it change my life? Not at all. It preoccupied my thoughts for a day since it was fresh, but after that I just got even more tired of Bison's fucking signature. CHANGE THAT SHIT. Psycho.

This thread isn't even about Heath anymore. It's about who we grieve (celebrities) and how we grieve them.

EDIT: Bison, you're obsessed. Don't lie to yourself or us because you suck at it -

I totally understand your detachment from this mass mourning of a stranger's death, DF...Personally, the only thing that I can say about Heath Ledger is I kinda liked "A knight's tale"...My original point was NOT really about HL at all..Frankly, I was making the point that you (less than tactfully, imho) made...That is, the loss of a loved one/a friend/anyone that is a part of one's life can severely affect one's own sense of self...and one's acute sense of mortality...I simply used HL's death as a means to an end...to say that I am affected by the REMINDER of death's often sudden appearance into an otherwise blissfully life filled existence...And that I think that that is what is behind the affect of the other "mourners" of HL....

And, although Bison is a complete tool...He gets it....It's not HL or his death that is really what's at play here...It's those people that you and I and others have lost...Some recently...Others still remembered though lost years ago...And that sense of loss we feel...Like the itch you feel in your hand though your arm was removed years ago...

However, DF...This I mean more than anything....Though I do not know any of your friends..be they gone or ill...I would like to think that I can understand your feelings for them...

pez's just smells more like DICK than anyone else's.

I learnt mortality when I suddenly had no mother when I was 8. I'm sad for his family losing someone they love but that's it. Having money and being well known doesn't make you a better person or a bigger loss than someone else. Fame is overrated. What's to bet the people who get all stalkerlike (Bison) feel more empathy for the passing of a stranger than someone they've walked past in the street that doesn't fit an ideal?

If it were Bison who died, I'm sure Heath Ledger would be really sad.

WTF?

The world is upside down.

In an ironic turn, it appears that this board is full of 14 year old girls masquerading as men.

Crazy.

isnt leif dead too?



LETS MORN HIM!!!!

I LOVE LEIF...er, HEATH!!!!

No shit. What would happen if one of those "queer eye" guys dies?

That would be gay if one of those guys died.

Technically, it would be LESS gay.

If a gay dies during a Shakespeare play is that a comedy or a tragedy?

I don't like you.

Nope, not one little bit.