No sh*t, Sherlock dept: A friend of Jake Gyllenhaal says that he is taking Heath Ledger’s death harder than most people. Uh, duh. Maybe that’s because he was actually a close friend, unlike a lot of other stars that were asked about Ledger? It takes more than a week to get over someone you cared about. Sometimes years or decades. Should he have been partying and making out with someone instead, like Mary-Kate Olsen was supposedly doing?
On top of Ledger’s death, Gyllenhaal also has to deal with criticism about his relationship with Reese Witherspoon – from his mother (Naomi Foner) and ex Kirsten Dunst, no less.
TMZ is saying that Mary-Kate Olsen – who reports say has been out partying and sucking face with someone – will not be questioned regarding Heath Ledger’s death, according to NYPD Commisioner Ray Kelly. There were conflicting reports all over the blogosphere about this. The latest rumor is that had the masseuse bothered to call 911 first, instead of calling Olsen 3-4 times, Ledger might have lived.
This is horrible all around. Either the masseuse is guilty of whatever charge that would be, or someone is starting a very nasty rumor. In the meantime, actress Michelle Williams – the mother of Ledger’s daughter Matilda Rose – is taking some time off of filming her next movie Blue Valentine.
A man posing as Heath Ledger’s father, Kim Ledger, fooled Tom Cruise, the Frank E. Campbell Funeral Home, and a number of other people. He managed to talk with Cruise for a while. John Travolta was also contacted but according to his reps, he knew the man was an impostor. Looks as if Cruise didn’t have his superpower ring on.
Daniel Craig, aka the current James Bond, is defending the new Bond 22 movie title, Quantum of Solace, saying that name is important to the plot. [China Daily]
This seems like a month of celebrity passings. Actor Christopher Allport died at age 60 after apparently being trapped in an avalanche. Allport has appeared in numerous movies (TV + theater) and TV shows since 1973. He’ll also appear in 2008’s Garden Party. [EFlux Media via Bitten and Bound]
Linsday Lohan has a $1000/day shopping budget. Must be nice. [Cele|bitchy]
Barry Sonnenfeld won a DGA Awards prize this past Saturday for directing an episode of Pushing Daisies, one of the best new shows on TV. AP says that it’s for “television comedy”, but the show leans more towards dramatic comedy. [AP/Google]
If Johnny Depp does fill in for Heath Ledger in his last film, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, there’s apparently a way to make it work. The story has a magic mirror through which ledger’s character falls, and he could change into another character, portrayed by Johnny Depp. It’s being directed by Monty Python alumni Terry Gilliam, and his brand of moviemaking suggests that such a plot device could work.
Ledger had already finished work as The Joker for Batman: The Dark Knight. However, Warner Bros. is unsure of the marketing campaign at this point. This movie is currently scheduled for release on July 18.
It’s being said that Mel Gibson, who played Heath Ledger’s father in The Patriot, had advised Ledger not to take the gay cowboy role in Brokeback Mountain, and that their friendship suffered after that. Gibson had supposedly indicated that Ledger’s career would be ruined by such a role. There are further allegations that Gibson has made homophobic comments several times (though not to Ledger), but his rep denies it.
Ledger, who passed away on Tuesday, will be buried in his native Australia. There will not be a public viewing. The masseuse who found him could be facing charges or jail time because she’s not licensed – a crime in NY state.
In the meantime, Mary-Kate Olsen, who might be questioned by police (depending on whom you ask) about why the masseuse supposedly called her several times before calling 911, has supposedly been partying it up at an NYC club. Correct me if I’m wrong, but wouldn’t a normal person NOT party it up three days after the death of a friend? Or maybe it’s her way of coping.
[other sources: NY Daily News, People, US]
Mentally constipated dept: Fox News host John Gibson not only put down Heath Ledger (a heterosexual) for his role as a gay cowboy in Brokeback Mountain, Gibson also joked that Ledger might have killed himself because he was going to lose money in the stock market. Classy. We’ll remember you with such devotion, Gibson. He’s a solid example of why I stopped watching anything Fox several years back (and avoid as much of any media owned by parent company News Corp). [The video clip below is of some news anchors attacking John Gibson, and excerpts a bit of Gibson's comments.]
Gibson later apologized about his comments on Heath Ledger, but apologies from news and radio show hosts are a dime a dozen these days. I can’t imagine, despite the apology, that he really feels any different. And his hatred is still in the “ether”. You can’t recall that.
Scarlett Johansson isn’t just a talented actress, she’s also a singer with a beautiful voice. Her debut album, Anywhere I Lay My Head, comes out May 20th. Except there’s only one original track. The other ten songs are covers of Tom Waits songs. But if you listen to her great lounge singer voice in the video clip below, and if you are familiar with Tom Waits, I think you’ll agree that her voice is ideal as any for Tom Waits covers.
Johansson was recently asked by Courtney Love to portray herself in a biopic about Curt Cobain. She’ll also be appearing in The Other Boleyn Girl (Feb 29), He’s Just Not That Into You (Aug 1), Vicky Cristina Barcelona, and Mary Queen of Scots this year.
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Production has been halted in Vancouver, Canada, for The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. This was the next movie that Heath Ledger would have been working on. The inimitable musician/ actor Tom Waits was co-star. Ledger’s work as the Joker in Batman: The Dark Knight was supposedly already complete.
Ledger died yesterday, possibly of an accidental overdose of anti-depressants mixed with sleeping pills. Not unexpectedly, his family and many close celebrity friends – including Lindsay Lohan, Helena Christensen, and ex-fiancee Michelle Williams – are said to be very distraught about Ledger’s passing, which some anonymous friend, possibly Jack Nicholson, claims to have seen coming.
Ledger apparently had many sleepless nights, thanks to insomnia partially caused by his work on The Dark Knight. This might account for the sleeping pills found near his body. Autopsy results are 10 days away.
I wrote this review a couple of weeks ago, upon seeing the movie Ned Kelly on TV. Since that time, the sad news came that the talented Heath Ledger died today, possibly due to an accidental drug overdose. Ledger was starting to be amongst my list of favorite actors, and his role in Ned Kelly shows the some of the intensity that he is capable of.
Ned Kelly: Public Enemy #1. [SPOILERS]
Heath Ledger stars as Ned Kelly, set in Victoria, Australia in the late 1800s. The movie is based on Robert Drewe’s novel, Our Sunshine, which is based on the real life of Ned Kelly, an Australian bushranger. Supporting cast: Orlando Bloom, Geoffrey Rush, Naomi Watts, Rachel Griffiths, Joel Edgerton. Directed by Gregor Jordan. Released Mar 26, 2004.
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Heath Andrew Ledger, who would be 29 in April, has been found dead in a NYC residence (UPDATE: NOT owned by actress Mary-Kate Olsen), potentially of an accidental drug overdose. The actor, one of my favorites amongst the younger set, was found in his bed surrounded by pills. He’s survived by daughter Matilda Rose, whom he fathered with actress Michelle Williams, his former fiancee.
The handsome and talented Australian has been in a number of thoughtful and/or interesting films (10 Things I Hate About You, A Knight’s Tale, The Patriot, Ned Kelly, The Brothers Grimm, Brokeback Mountain) and will appear as The Joker against Christian Bale’s Batman/Bruce Wayne in this year’s Batman Begins sequel, The Dark Knight. Ledger was also scheduled to be in 2009’s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. Both Ledger and Bale currently appear in I’m Not There, a film that muses about singer/songwriter Bob Dylan’s life.
RIP, Heath.
[sources: Popcrunch, TMZ, NY Times]
