Heath Ledger Dead At 28...

[AYHJA]

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2008/01 ... on_jo.html
Jack Nicholson warned Heath Ledger on 'Joker' role

BY JOE NEUMAIER
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Thursday, January 24th 2008, 3:18 AM

Heath Ledger thought landing the demanding role of the Joker was a
dream come true - but now some think it was a nightmare that led to
his tragic death.

Jack Nicholson, who played the Joker in 1989 - and who was furious he
wasn't consulted about the creepy role - offered a cryptic comment
when told Ledger was dead.

"Well," Nicholson told reporters in London early Wednesday, "I warned
him."

Though the remark was ambiguous, there's no question the role in the
movie earmarked as this summer's blockbuster took a frightening toll.

Ledger recently told reporters he "slept an average of two hours a
night" while playing "a psychopathic, mass-murdering, schizophrenic
clown with zero empathy ...

"I couldn't stop thinking. My body was exhausted, and my mind was
still going."

Prescription drugs didn't help, he said.

Ledger's ghastly image as the Clown Prince of Crime in "Dark Knight"
has been an Internet sensation since trailers were released in
December, featuring Ledger in full death's-head mode.

His face chalk-white, his hair green and his mouth a sliced red
grimace, the handsome 28-year-old Australian actor looked
frighteningly true to the character in the Alan Moore graphic novel,
"Batman: The Killing Joke."

The movie wrapped filming in the fall - right after Ledger's breakup
with actress Michelle Williams - and post-production work finished not
long after.

While "Dark Knight" is the film that will stand as Ledger's cinematic
gravestone, insiders say the flick, set for a July 18 release with
Christian Bale as Batman, won't suffer from his death.

"Ledger's portrayal of the Joker is already one of the most
anticipated screen characters of the whole year," says Gitesh Pandya,
editor of the movie tracking site boxofficeguru.com

"I think most of the audience will still be there. If anything, I
would think the marketing of his character might be scaled down a bit.

"The Joker is a character where you could go over-the-top with
marketing. The studio might scale that back a bit in the next few
months, just to be respectful."

Tony Timpone, editor of the fantasy magazine Fangoria, said the movie
should do well, despite the "cloud over it" from Ledger's death.

"It's going to be tough, because the Joker is such an indelible
character, and Heath was such an indelible actor. It could be tough to
disassociate ourselves from reality. Because the movie looks like it's
going to be so dark, and his life had such a dark end."

Critic and film historian Leonard Maltin said Ledger's death will
heighten curiosity about the movie - and certainly won't hurt the box
office.

"This is sad and so different from any previous examples, because the
film has such an enormous built-in audience; people will go anyway,
but there's no question it could cast something of a pall over the
film," Maltin said.

"It says something about the curious nature of film, that someone can
be so alive onscreen when we're all too aware that they've passed. It
underscores how we're mortal, and films are immortal."

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Entertainment ... 635&page=1
Anti-Gay Church to Protest Ledger Funeral
Church Known for Protests of Soldiers' Funerals, to Picket Actor's
Memorial

By RUSSELL GOLDMAN
Jan. 24, 2008

A fundamentalist church whose members demonstrate at the funerals of
soldiers killed in Iraq and believe God hates gays will protest the
Academy Awards and the funeral of Heath Ledger, because the actor
played a gay cowboy in the 2005 film "Brokeback Mountain."

Members of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan., are trying to
find out where the 28-year-old actor's funeral will be held and have
already made signs to hold outside the Oscars that read "God Hates
Fags and Fag Enablers," "Heath in Hell" and "Mourn for Your Sins,"
Shirley Phelps-Roper, daughter of the church's controversial founder
Pastor Fred Phelps, told ABCNEWS.com.

Though Ledger was not gay, the church believes he "misused the giant
megaphone given to him by God Almighty to speak the truth about fags,"
Phelps-Roper said, and instead "used his position of prominence to say
God is a liar and that homosexuality is not an abomination."

The time and location of the Ledger's funeral remain unknown, but it
is widely believed it will take place in the actor's native Australia.

George Amado, the general manager of New York City's Frank E. Campbell
funeral home, told The Associated Press that funeral arrangements for
the actor are complete and his relatives are expected to arrive in New
York City Friday.

He refused to elaborate further, saying, "The family doesn't want us
to give out any information."

"They are going to try and hide the body like a bunch of ghouls so we
can't protest. The only thing in this country people worship more than
filthy sex acts is the dead," Phelps-Roper said.

She said members of the church had already purchased plane tickets to
picket outside the Oscars, scheduled for Feb. 24 in Hollywood.

A press release posted to the church's Web site, godhatesfags.com,
reads: "Heath Ledger is now in Hell, and has begun serving his eternal
sentence there -- besides which, nothing else about Heath Ledger is
relevant or consequential."

According to the Web site, the church, founded in 1955, has held more
than 34,000 protests. But Phelps-Roper said there are currently only
50 members.

Hate Group, or Religious Freedom?

The Southern Poverty Law Center considers the church a hate group
because of its "platform, writings and statements by its leader, which
are egregiously anti-gay," said Mark Potok, director of the center's
Intelligence Project.

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Entertainment ... 635&page=2

Anti-Gay Church to Protest Ledger Funeral
Church Known for Protests of Soldiers' Funerals, to Picket Actor's
Memorial

"The group is made up of people who are almost literally out of their
minds," Potok said. "In addition to regularly picketing the deaths of
American soldiers killed in Iraq, they have picketed the funeral of
little girls killed in a school bus crash because they wanted to link
the death of children with 'America's sin.'"

Last year a Baltimore jury determined the Westboro Baptist Church was
too vulgar and offensive to be covered by the First Amendment. The
church was ordered to pay nearly $11 million to Albert Snyder, who
brought a suit after the Phelps clan picketed the funeral of his
20-year-old son Matthew, who died while serving in Iraq.

The group routinely uses young children on its picket lines, sometimes
giving them signs featuring explicit images to carry.

According to Potok, the only members of the church are Fred Phelps'
family members.

"I doubt there is anyone in America who thinks more about gay sex than
Fred Phelps," Potok said.

Ledger, 28, was found dead at the foot of his bed in his rented Soho
loft Tuesday with several bottles of prescription drugs nearby. A
preliminary autopsy completed Wednesday was unable to determine what
killed the actor.

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/view.php?id=6650
God Hates Fags fanatics may picket Ledger funeral

23rd January 2008 15:50
PinkNews.co.uk staff writer

God Hates Fags fanatics may picket Ledger funeral

The Westboro Baptist Church has declared its intention to protest at
the funeral of actor Heath Ledger, who died yesterday.

The statement from the church is reproduced below.

28-year-old Ledger was best-known for his Oscar-nominated performance
in gay-themed cowboy movie Brokeback Mountain.

Although the cause of death is unknown, a drugs overdose is suspected.

The Westboro Baptist Church, led by Fred Phelps, has generated
publicity by protesting at the funerals of US service personnel killed
in action.

They first came to prominence for picketing the funeral of murdered
gay teen Matthew Shepard in 1998.

In a statement released today Mr Phelps announced his intention to
picket Mr Ledger's funeral and said:

"Heath Ledger thought it was great fun defying God Almighty and his
plain word; to wit: God Hates Fags! & Fag Enablers!

"Ergo, God hates the sordid tacky, bucket of slime seasoned with vomit
known as Brokeback Mountain - and He hates all persons having anything
whatsoever to do with it.

"Heath Ledger is now in Hell, and has begun serving his eternal
sentence there - beside which, nothing else about Heath Ledger is
relevant or consequential."

It is as yet unknown if Mr Ledger will be laid to rest in his native
Australia or in America.

While US laws regarding freedom of speech and assembly protects the
Phelps' and the tiny Westboro Baptist Church in their home country, it
is unlikely that the Australian authorities would find their tactics
acceptable.

Today Australia's Prime Minister paid tribute to Mr Ledger:

"It is tragic that we have lost one of our nation's finest actors in
the prime of his life," he said.

"Heath Ledger's diverse and challenging roles will be remembered as
some of the great performances by an Australian actor."

Australian actors Mel Gibson, Cate Blanchett and Nicole Kidman also
expressed their shock at the loss of such a considerable talent.

I had such great hope for him," said Gibson, who cast Heath Ledger in
The Patriot, said. #

"He was just taking off and to lose his life at such a young age is a
tragic loss. My thoughts and prayers are with him and his family."

The Westboro Baptist church operates a website called GodHatesFags and
have protested at over 100 funerals of soldiers killed in the line of
duty in Iraq.

Their campaign, called "Thank God for Improvised Explosive Devices"
involves protesters holding up signs and chanting slogans such as "God
Hates Fags," "America is Doomed" and "Thank God for Dead Soldiers" at
the widows of the servicemen.


****************************************************
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Man, I hope Jack's comment was taken out of context... :?

[raum]

Not at all. Jack's comment was because he said it was the most dangerous role he ever assumed. He said he literally had to make his portrayal of the the Jokey *hokey* to stay relatively sane. Same of Caesar Romero.

I bet the harsh edge the wanted from "Year One" was a terrifying role, and Jack knew it could consume Heath. You have to have a deathwish to dance with that entity. All the energy built up around the Joker demands ALOT and he is perhaps the most recognized villan in any American publication ever. To really capture and embody Frank Miller's vision of him, you need a suicide watch.

[Sir Jig-A-Lot]

aptly put,Mr Raum. aptly put.

[Sir Jig-A-Lot]

Accidental Pill Overdose Killed Heath Ledger
Source: The Associated Press
February 6, 2008


The Dark Knight star Heath Ledger died of an accidental overdose of painkillers, sleeping pills, anti-anxiety medication and other prescription drugs, the New York City medical examiner said Wednesday.

The cause of death was "acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam and doxylamine," spokeswoman Ellen Borakove said in a statement.

The drugs are the generic names for the painkiller OxyContin, the anti-anxiety drugs Valium and Xanax, and the sleep aids Restoril and Unisom. Hydrocodone is a widely used prescription painkiller.

Borakove wouldn't say what concentrations of each drug were found in Ledger's blood, or whether one drug played a greater part than another in causing his death.

"What you're looking at here is the cumulative effects of these medications together," she said.

The ruling comes two weeks after the 28-year-old Australian-born actor was found dead in the bed of his rented SoHo apartment. Police found bottles of six types of prescription drugs, including sleeping pills and anti-anxiety medication, in his bedroom and bathroom.

Ledger was discovered by his masseuse on Jan. 22 after she arrived for an appointment that afternoon. She entered his bedroom to set up for the massage and found him unresponsive, and proceeded to call Mary-Kate Olsen three times over the next 9 minutes before dialing 911. Ledger had been dead for some time, and police say no foul play occurred.

In a statement released through Ledger's publicist, Ledger's father, Kim, said Wednesday: "While no medications were taken in excess, we learned today the combination of doctor-prescribed drugs proved lethal for our boy. Heath's accidental death serves as a caution to the hidden dangers of combining prescription medication, even at low dosage."

[raum]

this is a whitewash... they already found evidence of more than this. they are specificallly only detaiing what forensically is evident as cause of death. not all contributing factors.

solid.

[AYHJA]

You suggesting that there's something more going on here raum..?

[raum]

http://heathledgerdrugtape.blogspot.com/

http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/celebrity/ ... 19466.html

[happywonton]

It would be weird for someone to be at a drug party and not take part in doing any drugs. Even if the video doesn't show him doing anything, that's pretty suspicious itself that he was there. Although, I'd like to put in that I doubt marijuana would have had any contribution to his death.

GANJA 4 LIFE :hypno:
I don't know what I'm saying.

[Sir Jig-A-Lot]

GANJA 4 LIFE :hypno:
I don't know what I'm saying.

yes you do. ;)

[shining2001uk]

nobody has an 'accidental' overdose of sleeping pills. you have to take shitloads of pills to actually kill yourself or take large amounts of a cocktail of drugs - my point being u dont accidentally take that much because u have a bit of insomnia.

dont get me wrong, he's a great actor, 10 things I hate about u is one of my fave films but theres no need to cover up his death & pretend he didnt od on alcohol + pills etc