Flickgrrl

Another star down the drug path.

Not so fast. Autopsy results are inconclusive.

It the truth. His body was found with drugs all around him. His family saying it was accidental, but if the drugs were found near his body, then he had to be taking them. Rock stars, tv stars, movies stars, most them are drug addicts.

Generalize much, Tom? Granted it looks like in this case they may have found cocaine in the house, but to say that most TV, Rock and movie stars are drug addicts is ignorant at best.

Wait for the definitive autopsy results. They're still ten days away. He was a hell of an actor with tremendous promise and range. "Rock stars, tv stars, movies stars, most them are drug addicts." Jesus Christ, that's an asinine generalization. Even if it were true, SO WHAT?

Thank you Reggie and JDM. Now, can we talk about Ledger, please?

Any James Dean analogy doesn't hold up, if only because James Dean lived fast and died young, while Heath by all accounts lived slowly, raised a child, and died from sleeping pills of all things. He seemed quite well-balanced.

Heath's craft was definitely top-caliber, but he never revolutionized the screen like Dean did (in three films no less).

As many people have said, Ledger's best work was probably ahead of him.

I especially enjoyed his "commercial" work, which was remarkably offbeat: A Knight's Tale is not a typical blockbuster, and Ten Things I Hate About You is a very entertaining teen Shakespeare entry.

To Tom:

"No illegal drugs were found in his apartment," according to an AP report just in. God, talk about jumping to conclusions, believing the worst in people and spreading false rumors. It's so - I hate to say it - American.

To Carrie:

Heathwas remarkable in "Candy with Abby Cornish, a very good Aussie actress who should break out soon. Have you seen it?

In fact, Heath had chemistry will all of his co-stars - men (Jake) and women (Julia). He always acted with his co-stars, not at them.

Thanks for listening.

I wasn't a big fan of Brokeback Mountain as a whole, but Heath Ledger was easily the main reason to watch it. He gave an absolutely heartbreaking performance, without resorting to showy histrionics or flashy "acting". Although a lot of his character's motives were internalized, he was still able to convey so much emotion and depth.

I was a huge fan of the Batman comics as a kid, and from the teaser trailers and publicity shots from The Dark Knight that I've seen so far, Ledger's Joker is exactly how I've always wanted to see the character portrayed on film. It really seems like he took the character in an interesting direction, and it appeared to be another reason to expect great things from him in the future. I was just telling my girlfriend the other day how excited I was to see the film this summer. What a shame.

This is so disturbing. These early deaths, especially of vibrant people (James Belushi, Natalie Wood, etc.), always are. I really admired Ledger's work, even in his "off" films ("The Order," "The Four Feathers"), and looked forward to his maturing and aging as an actor. I agree that "Candy" - sort of a druggie "Days of Wine and Roses" - is particularly good. If I were its American distributor, I'd get it in re-release pronto. Too few people saw it. I also liked the little-seen "Ned Kelly," with a stellar Aussie cast - Ledger, Naomi Watts, Geoffrey Rush and Orlando Bloom. Another Ledger film that too many people missed. But if he made only one film, "Brokeback Mountain," that would have been enough to convince me of Heath Ledger's greatness.

Ledger will be missed. His performances have a range and depth from playing a Bob dylan to a gay cowboy to a petruchio to a son of Billy Bob. His acting was not in your face and neither was his public image. It is going to be hard for the media to construct an image of him as self destructive which it was able to do with Dean and River Phoenix. My heart goes out to his family, his little girl and his audience who has lost all the roles that he would have done. I am now more interested in how his performance as Joker undoes the glib performance of Jack and I assume will create a real menace.

I've really got to see his "Ned Kelly." I've been putting it off because I watched Mick Jagger' "Ned Kelly" at least thirty times while I was ushering at the Grove Theater in Freeport, NY in 1970. It wasn't as good as Don Murray in "Pieces of Dreams", also on the bill, a leaving-the-priethood movie that really sucked. "Brokeback Mountain", "Ten Things" and "Knights Tale" all have great Ledger performances. Gotta see "Four Feathers." He wasn't an ensemble actor - he was bigger than that, but he always kept the others in the scene. That's maybe why a lot of people talked about "Ten Things" as a Julia Stiles movie - she's not near where he was when he died. Huge potential, terrific body of work.

This guy single handily ruined every cowboy flick that was ever made.

As far as the people's premature conclusions about his drug use...all I can say is, in the simple words of Bob Marley "Judge Not."

Carrie, you made some great points about Mr. Ledger. Did you happen to see him in Lords Of Doggtown? He played a smaller role, but was excellent. Almost hard to tell it was him, forgetting at times it was.

His death reminds me of River Phoenix, left wondering what could have been for an actor of great potential.

"This guy single handily ruined every cowboy flick that was ever made."

Hey Ed, you sound stupid. First of all, it's "single-handedly." Second, if BB Mountain was a "cowboy movie," and he "ruined" them for you, how do you feel about Midnight Cowboy and Jon Voight? Obviously you're a deep thinker.

Don't bust on the "ruined every cowboy movie for me" crowd. That's how iconic that performance was -- he and Jake make the homosexual erotic subtext of every cowboy movie obvious.

I sometimes whisper into my husband's ear as he's watching a true sports moment, or cowboy/male bonding scene, and say "I just can't quit you." Now all film cowboys are camp, and those of us outside the gay male community see it.

Plus, his Texas accent blew me away. As a southerner, I don't like bad accents with no regional reference. Heath was Northern Texas as soon as he opened his mouth as Ennis. I tuned my ear thinking he would go Mississisippi, drift into Alabama, or God forbid, try to be a Georgia boy. Not a chance. He was an Okie from Fenokie, and that blew me away more than the fact that he was completely realistic touching Jake G.'s fuzzy hiney!

I think Ledger had cause to feel bitter about not getting an Oscar for his role, but it was too break out even in this day.

It's impact was everywhere, even when it went to DVD. My movie rental guy wouldn't hold the movie in his hands. I made fun of him (macho Italian fella) and waved it around his head, going "Oooo, Oooooh, the gay cowboys! They're going into your brain!"

This video store owner is a serious movie nut, and he pushed my arm away and told me, "all right, you rented it, now get it out of here." His customers shook their heads as I pretended it was a salt shaker as I left, sprinkling mind-controlling gay western mojo as I went. My video guy loves me. What can I say -- it's a Philly thing.

As a woman I never appreciated Heath Ledger's skills because he was so good looking, UNTIL he played Ennis. Then I realized he was more than just hollywood good. I cried at the end of BBM. I made EVERYONE watch it.

My gay male friends didn't want to at first. My straight male friends didn't want to ever. But then... it was the performances that won them even grudgingly from the ones who made up their minds in advance that they would not like this movie one bit (both gay and straight men said as much to me).

Then I had to have a few tissues in my purse. So much male emotion I haven't seen before or since. For the straight men the performances showed just how unforgiving their world is. For the gay men who are out, Ledger's performance took them back to a time and place they maybe didn't want to go (but needed to).

I hate to think that Heath Ledger felt that he didn't live up to his vision of that performance, or that it troubled him in any way in how the public recognized it. I hate to think that he might have felt that he wasn't good enough, when the issue was that his performance blew people away so much they couldn't think or breathe.

If he fell into addiction, don't beat him up. It was wrong, of course, if he did. He was a human being who just had the mother of his child break off their engagement. He seemed to have falling into a bout of drinking (that explains the Valium prescription -- detox).

Relationships are the hardest thing ever -- not saying be an addict or fall into addiction, of course. But people stumble and fall. Actors are just people -- that's it.

If you get your relationship right and family, (an ongoing task), then you are more accomplished than kings.

Heath Ledger would have been a Harvey Keitel, another balls out Aussie on screen. He could use any part of himself to tell the story. I loved him.

If his life as a person and not a skilled actor can do anything, just look around you and see if you see someone who needs to be in inpatient detox, then get them in it.

Don't try this at home, folks.

The pros know what we are doing, and we can't help keep your loved ones alive and well while they get themselves back again and clean.

There's no such thing as do-it-yourself detox.

I watched Brokeback for the first time a few weeks ago. Ledger gave one of the most tragic and iconic performances I have ever seen on film. I think a good measure of a movie is if it sticks with you, if you're still thinking about it weeks or even months later. I couldn't stop thinking about Brokeback and most definitely couldn't stop thinking about Ennis Del Mar. What a character.

We can't get your loved ones clean if they're not here. If they're not in rehab, it doesn't matter how many awards they have, fame, money, none of that matters.

Detox is tricky even with young people -- Heath had pneumonia, and was taking what looks like detox protocol medications, like he had started and stopped several outpatient programs.

Warning sign: someone who starts and stops outpatient programs is telling you I can't do this on my own.

I don't care if you have to get them arrested (prisons often have state of the art detox/MH programming, such as dual diagnosis). Sounds like this young man had a dual diagnosis issues, i.e. he had a mental health issue like depression which is a clinical disease state treatable with medication AND was self medicating with at least alcohol, and his version of outpatient detox.

You see why putting the addict in charge often ends badly. Get them in detox, do anything, get them arrested if need be.

They'll live to be themselves again, I promise you. Let this kid's tragic death of his promise instruct us all to be proactive.

Something very distrubing happened on yesterday's "Entertainment Tonight" during its coverage of Heath Ledger's death.

The show aired a clip of some medical reporter for NBC's New York affliate, pontificating that there were illegal drugs in Ledger's apartment, that they were "strewn" all over the place and that a rolled $20-bill near Ledger's body had traces of cocaine on it.

This was aired hours after the New York police confirmed that there were no illegal drugs involved, that there were only perscribed drugs and that they weren't "strewn" all over the place.

Also, the $20-bill had no traces of cocaine on it.

I was shocked that ET's editors would air this opportunist's comments. I thought to myself, don't they keep up with news reports? Didn't they know?

Anyway, while this clip was airing (and I was fuming), Mary Hart's voice was unobtrusively superimposed murmuring, "The police said that there were no illegal drugs involved."

My question: If ET's editors knew this, why did they go ahead and air that inflammatory clip anyway?

I'm wondering if you also happened to catch this. It certainly fits A.O. Scott's expression, "the usual rituals of media cannibalism," that he used in his fine Heath Ledger appreciation in today's New York Times.

I'd be interested in your take on this. Thanks for listening.

Andrew, the next time you're sitting around a camp fire with your fellow scouts, don't bring up that time you and your significant other were tending to the sheep down in the valley. Some of the boys might get a little nervous.

To anonymous: Loved your point about the fuzzy hiney. Years from now when Brokeback Mt. is discussed in the same breath as Citizen Kane
everyone will point to the scene with Jake G's fuzzy hiney and proclaim that as the defining moment of the picture.

PS: I've sold all my copies of Brokeback Mt. so if you want to see it again try Video Palace down on Third St.

My friend took me out after he rented BB and watched it by himself. He felt his history would make it uncomfortable in the theater. So we got wine at a center city cafe, and he tries to tell me how much he hates the movie, and gets teary.

A friend of ours walks up. He asks what's wrong. I tell him we're doing a post Brokeback intervention. He pulls up a chair backwards and joins us. I then invite him to join us.

"I just don't like how there are still some men who are living like that." We both nod, but this is a man who is really successful, really accomplished, and who lives on his own terms, so we're a tad puzzled. Friend #2 looks at me. Straight woman takes the straight role, slight shrug.

"What upsets you, specifically? Didn't you think they nailed it?" "Yes."

Friend #2: "Good choice of words."

Me: "Did it harken you back to the days of your own private cowboy, leaving you to fend in a cruel world."

"I wasn't just waiting to see Jake Gyllenhal naked." Me: "Oh, come on now. You're among friends." "No, I wasn't just...It was just...that I knew it was not going to be a happy ending." He's trying to turn so we don't see his eyes.

Me and second friend look at each other. "You really wanted to have that gay cowboys ride off into the sunset thing?" "See, see I knew you wouldn't understand." I sigh.

"No, no, because straight men are ever so much more fair, sane, and reasonable." They both sigh. "Men are men are men are men. My only consolation is the nudity part of the show." Friend #2 starts giggling, fist bumps me.

Me: "Come on gentlemen. We've all had our cowboy, or plural, love us and leave us and hate us for making him love us." The one that was teary smiles. The one that was cheerful sighs.

I lift a glass. "Here's to all the [clip] cowboys who break our hearts. May we always survive them." I feel like I exorcised something I forgot was in me. As the sun went down, I remember their hands in the air, holding on to their glasses, toasting survival.

Wow. Thanks for posting.
I agree with Scott that the media vultures are feasting on this tragedy. What's happening here is a rush to get the latest tidbit and speculation on the air or on the 'net for purposes of boosting ratings and hits.
In the old days, pre-Internet, when River Phoenix died in 1993, the gossip and speculation were not part of legitimate news stories. In the print press, experienced reporters took time to collect, vet, and weigh the evidence. That is not happening here in the race to get the latest on Ledger. The spectacle of tabloid hounds eating their own intestines -- broadcasting the gossip and then refuting it in the same telecast -- is repulsive and hypocritical. It shows contempt for the audience and disrespect for the deceased and his family. That's why I don't want to make comments on what happened until the autopsy and toxicology reports are released. While I respect the expressions of those who see Ledger as a cautionary tale in self-medication, I ask them and others to refrain from diagnosing Ledger until the evidence is released. Let's use this as an occasion to evaluate Ledger as an actor, not an opportunity to speculate on the nature of his demons.

I'm sorry, but when Jake offered it, he was showing his courage as an actor. The hardest scenes are honest sex scenes, because everyone knows what's false.

Those two were nothing but honest every millisecond. There was no off note in it. And Ang Lee could have, shall we say, airbrushed a cleaner male rear on film, but chose to leave Jake's character's hairy butt symbolizing temptation, sin, redemption, hope -- what could be more "rosebud?"

All Ennis had to whisper was "rosebud."

Jake G.'s rear is our generation's "rosebud" and Ennis Del Mar will always be the broken Kane, or Cain.

I still feel Heath was starting to become a drug addict and he was very depressed because of his breakup with his daughter's mother. He probably couldn't deal with it and was using drugs as a way to get by. But again, just have to wait and see what the report say when all is done.
Now I read somewhere where Heath was in Mary Kate's apartment? I

He was not in Mary-Kate Olsen's apartment, as was in early reports. His housekeeper called a number programmed into his cellphone that was Mary Kate's. She was at the Sundance Festival and dispatched her security guys to Ledger's loft to help deal with security and medical examiner procedures.

Sorry to go slightly off-topic, but "Brokeback Mountin" will not ever be considered in the same context as "Citizen Kane". Sorry Ed.

A good film, perhaps. But let's not canonize Ledger and everything he's a part of simply because of his tragic death. Whatever the reasons behind his passing, his status in Hollywood will be elevated for a short time, but eventually will be relegated to the list of other actors failing to live long enough to reach their true potential.

I obviously went to far when I accused Ledger of single handedly ruining every cowboy film ever made. The classic Blazing Saddles certainly wasn't affected and neither was Midnight Cowboy. (I'm not really sure Midnight Cowboy is a cowboy flick). On the other hand the Lone Ranger and Tonto (oooh keemosabi) spent way too much time with each other and that unusual way John Wayne used to walk has taken on a whole new meaning. (can we all say "you go girl").