Heath Ledger did not get drugs from Mary-Kate Olsen, according to her lawyer
August 4th, 2008 by Scott Marks
When asked if she knew where Heath Ledger got the drugs that killed him, Mary-Kate Olsen did her best Sgt. Schultz impression by claiming, “I know nothing!”
In a statement issued on Monday, the heroin-chic moppet’s lawyer Michael C. Miller said that his client, “already provided investigators with relevant information.” People Magazine also quotes Mr. Miller as saying, ”Despite tabloid speculation, Mary-Kate Olsen had nothing whatsoever to do with the drugs found in Heath Ledger’s home or his body, and she does not know where he obtained them.”
The statement was issued following a report, confirmed by People, that Olsen, 22, requests immunity from prosecution before she’ll agree to cooperate with a federal investigation into her close friend’s death from an accidental overdose.
The statement continued, “Regarding the government’s investigation, at Ms. Olsen’s request, we have provided the government with relevant information including facts in the chronology of events surrounding Mr. Ledger’s death and the fact that Ms. Olsen does not know the source of the drugs Mr. Ledger consumed. We don’t know the source of the information being quoted in the media regarding the government’s inquiry, but these descriptions are incomplete and inaccurate.”
The former Fill House star is one half of…well, nothing and was last seen on screen French kissing Gandhi.
Tags: accidental overdose, Drugs, Heath Ledger, Keith Ledger, Mary-Kate Olsen, Mary-Kate Olson, overdoseFiled Under Gossip
“Joker” arrested for stealing Batman memorabilia from Michigan movie theater
July 28th, 2008 by Scott Marks
Heath Ledger died for your sins!
The Smoking Gun reports that a 20-year-old man dressed as the Joker was arrested earlier today by police in Three Rivers, Michigan for attempting to steal Dark Knight posters and memorabilia from a movie theater lobby.
When I used to steal posters from theater lobbies, I never once considered dressing up as a character from the movie. Imagine me dolled up as Mongo from Blazing Saddles or sporting a Travis Bickle mohawk from Taxi Driver.
Police were called to a disturbance just after midnight and discovered the theater staff restraining Spencer Taylor, who was decked out in his finest Joker regalia. Taylor was booked on felony larceny and malicious destruction of property. Wait till the boys in Three Rivers Penitentiary get a load of him!
Tags: Batman, Heath Ledger, joker arrested, joker buster, joker costume, Keith Ledger, Michigan, Movie Theater, Movie Theatre, spencer taylor, stealing posters, The Dark Knight, three riversFiled Under News
Review: THE DARK KNIGHT / Christopher Nolan (2008)
July 18th, 2008 by Scott Marks
The Dark Knight (2008)
Directed by: Jonathan Nolan & Christopher Nolan
Written by: Christopher Nolan &
Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhall, Morgan Freeman and Eric Roberts
Running Time: 142 min.
Aspect Ratio: 
Rating: 
As summer thrill rides go, it’s certainly not boring and it’s a helluva lot smarter, better put together and infinitely more watchable than Speed Racer, Indiana Jones and Hancock combined. Yet after a two-and-a-half hour trip to Gotham City, Illinois, there are these quiet feelings of indifference that are hard to buck.
With the exception of some of The Joker’s (Heath Ledger) elastic outbursts, the film takes itself far too damn seriously. Christopher Nolan has no sense of humor. I’m not asking for another helping of Tim Burton’s bat guano, the always “Socko” Adam West or, dare I mention, Joel Schumacher’s gay Ice Capades, but lighten up, Chris! This is a comic book tale about a pent-up millionaire playboy who likes to spend his evenings dressed in a latex bat costume beating guys up. Add Robin and a couple of bat poles to slide down and they could call the third installment Rough Trade. Come to think of it, maybe Joel Schumacher did have the right idea.
There were a couple of red flags in the film’s opening bank robbery sequence. After a traditional “hit the deck” spray of bullets to announce his presence, The Joker wraps a patron’s hands around a grenade and pulls the pin. What’s to stop this hapless victim from throwing it back in the Joker’s direction the minute his back is turned? (We later find out that Gotham City is loaded with makeshift vigilantes.) The same goes for bank manager William Fitchner who has a gas cannister shoved in his mouth. The detonator pin is strung to the bumper of the getaway car, and instead of spitting the smoking cylinder across the room (and possibly saving his skin) he opts for a lecture on morality as the Joker hits the accelerator.
***SPOILERS AHEAD!!!***
Continue reading Review: THE DARK KNIGHT / Christopher Nolan (2008)
Tags: Batman, cesar romero, christian bale, Film Review, Heath Ledger, IMAX, Jack Nicholson, Keith Ledger, The Dark Knight, the dark knight film review, the dark knight review, The Joker, two faceFiled Under Reviews, Theatrical
Joker Heath Ledger overshadows Batman in “The Dark Knight” publicity material
April 14th, 2008 by Scott Marks
Turning a corner at the AMC Fashion Valley in search of my boîte à chaussures du jour, I was stopped in my tracks by this grotesquerie. My PR sonar normally hones in on the lower right hand corner of a movie poster in search of a director’s credit. This time, it took a moment or two to unhook my gaze from the bloody lipstick smeared across a plastic transparency reminiscent of Marion Crane’s final ablution.
This is one creepy image made even more so when it became apparent that it was Heath Ledger posing as The Joker for this summer’s latest wrinkle in the bat cape, The Dark Knight. Nearly three months after the 29-year-old actor was found dead in his Manhattan apartment and three months before the July 22 opening of his last film, Warner Bros. has released a slew of promotional posters the majority of which feature disquieting images of the late star.
The film also features Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman and, uh, oh yeah, Christian Bale reprising his role as the caped crusader, yet according to the trailer and publicity material, Ledger’s the show!
There was even talk among greedy studio execs of using outtakes from Ledger’s Academy Award nominated performance for a prequel to be entitled Jokeback.
Realted stories:
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Rabbi Mel Gibson advised Heath Ledger to pass on “Brokeback Mountain” role
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Heath Ledger obituary
Photos:
Candy (2006)
Filed Under News
Do you look like Heath Ledger? If so, Hollywood is calling!
February 29th, 2008 by Scott Marks
Heath Ledger in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Poor Terry Gilliam can never seem to catch a break. Remember all the difficulties he had during the filming of Brazil (1985)? Gilliam tangled with studio producers over how the picture should end; the director wanted it to be downbeat while the producers insisted on the usual Hollywood sap. The studio won out and a 94 minute cut was released to theaters. Gilliam threatened to disown the film which was eventually rereleased at its proper running time of 142 min. Gilliam became so stressed that he temporarily lost the use of his legs for several weeks.
In 1999, he began work on The Man Who Killed Don Quixote with Johnny Depp, Vanessa Paradis and Jean Rochefort. The shooting halted after only a couple of days when Jean Rochefort suffered a herniated disc (that prevented him from riding a horse) and a flood leveled the set. The only thing left over from the doomed production is a $15 million insurance claim. Both Depp and Gilliam are unable to revive the project because the insurance company owns the rights to the script.
Even if he wins he loses. The director was J.K. Rowling first choice for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001), but Warner Brothers studios refused to even consider him opting instead for the “more family friendly ” Chris Columbus.
Gilliam reportedly tinkered for months with The Brother Grimm while Miramax repeatedly shuffled opening dates. According to imdb.com, “In June 2004, a stalemate occurred between Bob Weinstein and Terry Gillam over the final cut of the film. Terry Gilliam decided to place the film on hold for six months.” He went on to do Tideland, which he and Harvey Weinstein also quarreled over, and came back to finish this feature in January 2005.
In January of 2007, Gilliam announced that his next feature would be The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. One year later production ground to a halt when the film’s lead, Heath Ledger, died from an accidental overdose. According to Variety, Ledger’s participation was what got the film financed in the first place.
Ain’t It Cool News reports that instead of finishing the film with a CG Ledger, Jude Law, Colin Farrell and Johnny Depp have been recruited to replace the late actor. Cinematical quotes a studio insider reportedly saying: “There is a point in the film when Heath falls through a magic mirror. He could change into another character after that and that is where Johnny would come in.”
Gilliam still needs someone to double all of the actor’s blue screen work and a request for Ledger lookalikes has been sent out to actors’ agents.
It reads: “Please only suggest actors who look like Heath Ledger and are between five foot 11 inches and six foot three inches.”
Tags: Heath Ledger, Keith Ledger, Keith_Ledger, Terry Gilliam, The Imaginarium of Doctor ParnassusFiled Under News
Rabbi Mel Gibson advised Heath Ledger to pass on “Brokeback Mountain” role
January 27th, 2008 by Scott Marks
Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger became friendly during the filming of The Patriot, but their relationship quickly soured when Mel found out that the young, straight leading man was considering the role of Ennis Del Mar in Brokeback Mountain.
Rush & Molloy quote private investigator Paul Barresi as saying Gibson turned cold toward Ledger after the Aussie star ignored his advice not to play a gay cowboy.
“Ledger asked Gibson whether he should take the role of Ennis Del Mar in ‘Brokeback,’” Barresi says a “major Hollywood producer” told him. “Gibson strongly counseled against it. The role apparently ran counter to Gibson’s morality. And he felt that it would ruin Heath’s career.”
“When Gibson parted ways with Heath, it broke his heart,” contends Barresi.
This is not the first time loud-mouthed Gibson has shown his homophobic side. It all started with a questionable scene in Braveheart where a homosexual character is tossed from a window.
In 1991, Gibson aroused the ire of The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) when he told a Spanish publication, ” “[Gays] take it up the a–.” Gesturing toward his posterior, he added, “This is only for taking a s–t.”
GLAAD should have chewed him out for not fully exploiting the homoerotic possibilities implicit in the Lethal Weapon series.
Gibson had expressed fear that people would think he is gay because he’s an actor. When the Spanish interviewer called him on it Gibson shot back, “Do I sound like a homosexual? Do I talk like them? Do I move like them? I think not.”
Asked about GLAAD’s criticism, he told Playboy: “I’ll apologize when hell freezes over. They can f–ck off.”
Later, though, Gibson joined GLAAD in hosting lesbian and gay filmmakers for a seminar.
With the expection of the Mad Max films, where he’s perfectly cast as an animal, what use do any of us have for Mel Gibson? He’s a terrible actor and an even worse director. If the president of a major fast food chain were to come out and spout as much racist and homophobic rhetoric as Mel Gibson would you still eat his burgers?
Maybe it’s time we all told Mel Gibson to “f–k off.” I want you to take all of your Mel Gibson DVDs , even the Mad Max series, and treat them the same way betrayed Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker fans disposed of their CD’s. Use a bulldozer to bury them in your back yard.
And while you’re at it, throw Mel in the hole with them!
Tags: BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, Director, Film, Gay, GLAAD, Heath Ledger, Homophobia, Keith Ledger, Mel Gibson, MovieFiled Under News
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