rra
King Koopa
Posts: 10,145
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Post by rra on Jan 23, 2008 13:48:49 GMT -5
New York Times critic A.O. Scott penned a thoughtful article on Ledger....
"An Actor Whose Work Will Outlast the Frenzy "
The defining performance of Heath Ledger’s tragically foreshortened career — more or less equivalent to what Jim Stark in “Rebel Without a Cause” was for James Dean — will surely be the role of Ennis Del Mar in “Brokeback Mountain.”
A portrait of inarticulate love and thwarted desire, Ennis is a rich, complicated character succinctly sketched in Annie Proulx’s original short story and brought to heartbreaking life by the film’s screenwriters, Diana Ossana and Larry McMurtry, by its director, Ang Lee, and above all by Mr. Ledger himself.
Outwardly, Ennis presents a familiar image of rough-hewn western masculinity, and the longing that surges under his taciturn demeanor does not so much contradict this image as help to explain it. Ennis’s love for Jack Twist, whom he meets tending sheep on a Wyoming mountaintop in the early 1960s, takes Ennis by surprise and throws him permanently off balance. His lifelong silence, the film suggests, is less a sign of strength than of cowardice, a crippling inability to acknowledge or communicate the truth of his own feelings.
What made the performance so remarkable was that Mr. Ledger, without betraying Ennis’s dignity or his reserve, was nonetheless able to convey that truth to the audience. This kind of sensitivity — the ability to signal an inner emotional state without overtly showing it — is what distinguishes great screen acting from movie-star posing. And while Mr. Ledger was handsome enough, and famous enough, to be called a movie star, he was serious enough, and smart enough, to be suspicious of deploying his charisma too easily or cheaply.
In retrospect, the best thing that happened to him — the lucky break for his admirers, at any rate —may have been his disinclination to realize his movie-star potential. He was the most likable of the young things in the "Taming of the Shrew"-derived teen comedy “10 Things I Hate About You,” with his curly hair, high forehead and the permanent intimation of a smirk on his thin-lipped, angled mouth. And as often happens with young actors in Hollywood, his good looks and easy charm looked like a ticket to the commercial big time. Dutifully, but also with sparks of playful, eager energy, he played period golden boys in “The Patriot” and “A Knight’s Tale,” a misbegotten (but not entirely unenjoyable) entry in the ever-silly costume-action genre.
It is hard to know exactly when Mr. Ledger discovered his range, and set about trying to explore it, but it is clear that he covered a lot of ground in a very short time. He had a taste for portraying troubled, brooding, self-destructive young men, it’s true — the anguished second-generation prison guard in “Monster’s Ball”; the heroin addict in “Candy”; the unhappy film star in “I’m Not There,” in addition to Ennis — but the temptation to blend their fates with Mr. Ledger’s own should be resisted at all costs. Those roles should be seen less as expressions of some imagined inner torment than as evidence of resourcefulness, creative restlessness and wit.
Those same characteristics are abundantly evident in less well-known movies that should not be overlooked. Mr. Ledger was hilarious and eccentric in Catherine Hardwicke’s “Lords of Dogtown,” playing a shaggy old-timer on the Venice Beach surf- and skateboard scene, and affably mischievous in Terry Gilliam’s “Brothers Grimm,” alongside Matt Damon. Ennis Del Mar is complemented and complicated by Casanova, whom Mr. Ledger played in Lasse Hallstrom’s unfairly neglected biopic-as-sex-farce, which came and went too quickly in late 2005, during the ascendancy of “Brokeback Mountain.” It’s not just that the flamboyantly heterosexual Casanova is Ennis Del Mar’s opposite in obvious ways. He is also a creature of pure whimsy, a lighter-than-air confection of licentiousness and gallantry.
Which is not to say that Mr. Ledger’s performance is frivolous. Rather, it required intelligence, restraint and a tricky lightness of touch. Mr. Ledger’s had an unusual ability to mix lightness and gravity, an emotional nimbleness he displayed most fully in Todd Haynes’s “I’m Not There.” Of the six avatars of Bob Dylan in that film, his, an actor named Robbie Clark, is the most remote from Mr. Dylan’s various personae and closest to the prosaic world of love, fame and ambition. Bobby starts out full of youthful energy, heedless and in love, and finds himself a decade later adrift and disappointed, robbed of the happiness that early success had seemed to promise.
Again, it’s important to warn against looking in that film, or any other, for clues or portents. It seems to me that Mr. Ledger, in his choice of roles, was motivated above all by curiosity, and perhaps also by an impatience with the predictability and caution that can settle around the shoulders of talented young stars. In heroic roles, like “A Knight’s Tale” or “Ned Kelly,” he often seems bored, which may be why he so eagerly seized the chance to play the sociopathic Joker in “The Dark Knight,” the next installment in the “Batman” franchise.
The dismaying sense of loss and waste at Mr. Ledger’s death at the age of 28 comes not only because he was so young, but also because his talent was large and as yet largely unmapped. It seems inevitable that he will now be inscribed in the cult of the beautiful stars who died too young, alongside James Dean, Montgomery Clift and Marilyn Monroe. Even before his death, he had been ensnared in a pathological gossip culture that chews up the private lives of celebrities, and Tuesday’s news unleashed the usual rituals of media cannibalism.
Mr. Ledger’s work will outlast the frenzy. But there should have been more. Instead of being preserved as a young star eclipsed in his prime, he should have had time to outgrow his early promise and become the strange, surprising, era-defining actor he always had the potential to be.
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rra
King Koopa
Posts: 10,145
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Post by rra on Jan 23, 2008 13:50:30 GMT -5
Were there pills all over the place like some people have been saying? If so, it prolly was on purpose... Like the silly Media was over the Benoit Case*, I think we should let the police do their job and tell us what really happened. Sadly, if this had happened in the 1960s, there would be conspiracy theories about how the CIA took him out or some nonsense like that. *=Media claimed Roids, but how many actually bothered to report the head-concussions? That probably is what happened to Benoit.
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Desi
Dennis Stamp
Do Not Approve
Posts: 4,520
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Post by Desi on Jan 23, 2008 14:05:15 GMT -5
And another half-decent one bites the dust. RIP, I feel for his daughter. And say hello to my new desktop. It's creepy yet cool at the same time.
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Joekishi
Fry's dog Seymour
Posts: 20,490
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Post by Joekishi on Jan 23, 2008 14:08:19 GMT -5
I need that joker applause .gif
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CM Dazz
King Koopa
Chuck
Posts: 10,475
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Post by CM Dazz on Jan 23, 2008 14:08:23 GMT -5
That's sad. I met him a few months back. Seemed like a rally nice guy. I mentioned before I'm an extra in a couple scenes in the movie. An EXPLODING scene.
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Post by Lair of the Shadow MaDaBa on Jan 23, 2008 14:28:11 GMT -5
So Jim "I'd Rather Smash My Genitals In A Toilet Seat Rather Than Show Any Form Of Tact" Hellwig, legal name Warrior, has commented on Heath Ledger's death on his blog...
In the interest of full disclosure, I must tell you I have watched Brokeback Mountain no less than 45 times and I own the Limited Edition DVD, signed by Willie Nelson a short time after he wrote that ***** cowboy song as a tribute to the courage of the producers and actors who broke such incredible creative ground when they made their agenda-less movie. Serious. Until I saw Bendover Brokeback, Braveheart was my favorite movie. But the love scenes of Brokeback sucked me right in and I had no choice but to give myself over to the passion of its wide open range, if you get my drift. Such courage this young man and his collaegues have. Reminds me of the courage of classic movie stars, where during the War they enlisted and flew bomber planes and fought on frontlines, then came back and picked up their lives and careers right where they left off, without anti-American sentiment, whining and complaining, or self-destructive self indulgence. I’m equally inspired.
Apparently, Leather Hedger had sleeping troubles and anxiety and dealt with terrible mood swings. So do soldiers but they don’t self-destructively **** up their lives. In fact, they don’t sleep, handle anxiety and mood swings while dealing with whether or not they might at any moment lose their life. And they do this all the while they are dangerously protecting the freedom of others to **** up their own. By the way, how many 28 (or older or younger) year old soldiers met their death yesterday? It’s not easy to find out. None of them made the headlines of any news.
By today’s standard, though, I do have to agree that he was a great father. Perhaps even greater then the father of the year, Hulk Hogan. After all, Leather Hedger did what it took to kill himself. His kid is without a father, yes, but the negative influence is now removed and his own child has the chance for a full recovery. Hogan, on the other hand, won’t go quite that far. He insists on sticking around to keep further ruining, and profiting off of, the parentally mismanaged lives of his own children.
It is sad and tragic….that we don’t demand attention be paid to greater things.
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Post by Jon The Joker on Jan 23, 2008 14:35:57 GMT -5
At first I thought this was a cruel joke, but then I just accepted it. I am praying for Heath's family in their time of need. RIP Heath Ledger
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AriadosMan
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Your friendly neighborhood superhero
Posts: 15,620
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Post by AriadosMan on Jan 23, 2008 14:40:52 GMT -5
Were there pills all over the place like some people have been saying? If so, it prolly was on purpose... Like the silly Media was over the Benoit Case*, I think we should let the police do their job and tell us what really happened. Sadly, if this had happened in the 1960s, there would be conspiracy theories about how the CIA took him out or some nonsense like that. *=Media claimed Roids, but how many actually bothered to report the head-concussions? That probably is what happened to Benoit. I thought it was depression from knowing that he'd have to wrestle until he was 50 to pay off everything combined with the brain injuries?
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AriadosMan
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Your friendly neighborhood superhero
Posts: 15,620
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Post by AriadosMan on Jan 23, 2008 14:42:34 GMT -5
So Jim "I'd Rather Smash My Genitals In A Toilet Seat Rather Than Show Any Form Of Tact" Hellwig, legal name Warrior, has commented on Heath Ledger's death on his blog... In the interest of full disclosure, I must tell you I have watched Brokeback Mountain no less than 45 times and I own the Limited Edition DVD, signed by Willie Nelson a short time after he wrote that ***** cowboy song as a tribute to the courage of the producers and actors who broke such incredible creative ground when they made their agenda-less movie. Serious. Until I saw Bendover Brokeback, Braveheart was my favorite movie. But the love scenes of Brokeback sucked me right in and I had no choice but to give myself over to the passion of its wide open range, if you get my drift. Such courage this young man and his collaegues have. Reminds me of the courage of classic movie stars, where during the War they enlisted and flew bomber planes and fought on frontlines, then came back and picked up their lives and careers right where they left off, without anti-American sentiment, whining and complaining, or self-destructive self indulgence. I’m equally inspired.
Apparently, Leather Hedger had sleeping troubles and anxiety and dealt with terrible mood swings. So do soldiers but they don’t self-destructively **** up their lives. In fact, they don’t sleep, handle anxiety and mood swings while dealing with whether or not they might at any moment lose their life. And they do this all the while they are dangerously protecting the freedom of others to **** up their own. By the way, how many 28 (or older or younger) year old soldiers met their death yesterday? It’s not easy to find out. None of them made the headlines of any news.
By today’s standard, though, I do have to agree that he was a great father. Perhaps even greater then the father of the year, Hulk Hogan. After all, Leather Hedger did what it took to kill himself. His kid is without a father, yes, but the negative influence is now removed and his own child has the chance for a full recovery. Hogan, on the other hand, won’t go quite that far. He insists on sticking around to keep further ruining, and profiting off of, the parentally mismanaged lives of his own children.
It is sad and tragic….that we don’t demand attention be paid to greater things.So, how's that "defamation" suit against McMahon going, Earwig?
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Post by Near Fantastica on Jan 23, 2008 14:42:53 GMT -5
Hellwig is an idiot. As in the last topic, someone brought up the fact that soldiers are dying in Iraq and we should care more about them. I will reiterate exactly what I said in the last thread and that is this;
The soldiers dying in Iraq went there VOLUNTARILY. They decided that they wished to the tools of their government to fight a war that wasn't needed. It is their own fault that they died in the war. I'm sorry if that sounds harsh, but I'm not dead, you're not dead and that's because we are not fighting a war. There's no draft, it's voluntary.
Also, you have to understand how the media works. Nobody is ignoring the children of Darfur or the war in Iraq or issues with Iran or the people who die around the world all year long, however a popular, well-known artist has died, and since he was so young it's being covered by the news so his fans can be aware and because, I'm afraid to say, people can be quite obsessed with the lives of the rich and famous because they don't seem like regular people but are, as we can see, also susceptible to illness and death and problems we all have.
This will all blow over in about a week, however the coverage of Iraq won't. We all know you're fighting a war, you won't let us forget.
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Post by boiledewokthe3rd on Jan 23, 2008 14:45:15 GMT -5
I hadn't heard of the guy, but I really wish they would stop showing the film of the body bag being hauled about. Just wrong.
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Post by DrBackflipsHoffman on Jan 23, 2008 14:45:43 GMT -5
The Dingo needs to shut up, every time he opens his mouth it's just a black hole of insanity.
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AriadosMan
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Your friendly neighborhood superhero
Posts: 15,620
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Post by AriadosMan on Jan 23, 2008 14:48:00 GMT -5
The Dingo needs to shut up, every time he opens his mouth it's just a black hole of insanity. On the plus side, statments like this make it really hard for him to come anywhere near winning his much-hyped defamation suit against McMahon. It was his choice to price himself out of the industry and demand ridiculous Batman entrances whenever he showed up.
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Post by CJ Denton is Egon on Jan 23, 2008 14:50:12 GMT -5
The Dingo needs to shut up, every time he opens his mouth it's just a black hole of insanity. On the plus side, statments like this make it really hard for him to come anywhere near winning his much-hyped defamation suit against McMahon. It was his choice to price himself out of the industry and demand ridiculous Batman entrances whenever he showed up. Vince: your honor, Warriorweb.com Judge: Case Dismissed.
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Post by Confused Mark Wahlberg on Jan 23, 2008 15:00:22 GMT -5
So Jim "I'd Rather Smash My Genitals In A Toilet Seat Rather Than Show Any Form Of Tact" Hellwig, legal name Warrior, has commented on Heath Ledger's death on his blog... In the interest of full disclosure, I must tell you I have watched Brokeback Mountain no less than 45 times and I own the Limited Edition DVD, signed by Willie Nelson a short time after he wrote that ***** cowboy song as a tribute to the courage of the producers and actors who broke such incredible creative ground when they made their agenda-less movie. Serious. Until I saw Bendover Brokeback, Braveheart was my favorite movie. But the love scenes of Brokeback sucked me right in and I had no choice but to give myself over to the passion of its wide open range, if you get my drift. Such courage this young man and his collaegues have. Reminds me of the courage of classic movie stars, where during the War they enlisted and flew bomber planes and fought on frontlines, then came back and picked up their lives and careers right where they left off, without anti-American sentiment, whining and complaining, or self-destructive self indulgence. I’m equally inspired.
Apparently, Leather Hedger had sleeping troubles and anxiety and dealt with terrible mood swings. So do soldiers but they don’t self-destructively **** up their lives. In fact, they don’t sleep, handle anxiety and mood swings while dealing with whether or not they might at any moment lose their life. And they do this all the while they are dangerously protecting the freedom of others to **** up their own. By the way, how many 28 (or older or younger) year old soldiers met their death yesterday? It’s not easy to find out. None of them made the headlines of any news.
By today’s standard, though, I do have to agree that he was a great father. Perhaps even greater then the father of the year, Hulk Hogan. After all, Leather Hedger did what it took to kill himself. His kid is without a father, yes, but the negative influence is now removed and his own child has the chance for a full recovery. Hogan, on the other hand, won’t go quite that far. He insists on sticking around to keep further ruining, and profiting off of, the parentally mismanaged lives of his own children.
It is sad and tragic….that we don’t demand attention be paid to greater things.Smurf off, WOYAH.
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Post by strykerdarksilence on Jan 23, 2008 15:03:47 GMT -5
My prayers go to his family. I was sad to hear this, and angered by the trolling that has hit the net.
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Cranjis McBasketball
Crow T. Robot
Knew what the hell that thing was supposed to be
Peace Love and Nothing But
Posts: 41,975
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Post by Cranjis McBasketball on Jan 23, 2008 15:54:10 GMT -5
So Jim "I'd Rather Smash My Genitals In A Toilet Seat Rather Than Show Any Form Of Tact" Hellwig, legal name Warrior, has commented on Heath Ledger's death on his blog... In the interest of full disclosure, I must tell you I have watched Brokeback Mountain no less than 45 times and I own the Limited Edition DVD, signed by Willie Nelson a short time after he wrote that ***** cowboy song as a tribute to the courage of the producers and actors who broke such incredible creative ground when they made their agenda-less movie. Serious. Until I saw Bendover Brokeback, Braveheart was my favorite movie. But the love scenes of Brokeback sucked me right in and I had no choice but to give myself over to the passion of its wide open range, if you get my drift. Such courage this young man and his collaegues have. Reminds me of the courage of classic movie stars, where during the War they enlisted and flew bomber planes and fought on frontlines, then came back and picked up their lives and careers right where they left off, without anti-American sentiment, whining and complaining, or self-destructive self indulgence. I’m equally inspired.
Apparently, Leather Hedger had sleeping troubles and anxiety and dealt with terrible mood swings. So do soldiers but they don’t self-destructively **** up their lives. In fact, they don’t sleep, handle anxiety and mood swings while dealing with whether or not they might at any moment lose their life. And they do this all the while they are dangerously protecting the freedom of others to **** up their own. By the way, how many 28 (or older or younger) year old soldiers met their death yesterday? It’s not easy to find out. None of them made the headlines of any news.
By today’s standard, though, I do have to agree that he was a great father. Perhaps even greater then the father of the year, Hulk Hogan. After all, Leather Hedger did what it took to kill himself. His kid is without a father, yes, but the negative influence is now removed and his own child has the chance for a full recovery. Hogan, on the other hand, won’t go quite that far. He insists on sticking around to keep further ruining, and profiting off of, the parentally mismanaged lives of his own children.
It is sad and tragic….that we don’t demand attention be paid to greater things.Smurf off, WOYAH. To be fair, in that insane rambling of Warrior's, he does make a few good points.
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Franchise
Hank Scorpio
No you didn't.
Ronnie Garvin, you idiot! I like steak, not soup, Ronnie Garvin!
Posts: 6,879
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Post by Franchise on Jan 23, 2008 16:51:56 GMT -5
So Jim "I'd Rather Smash My Genitals In A Toilet Seat Rather Than Show Any Form Of Tact" Hellwig, legal name Warrior, has commented on Heath Ledger's death on his blog... In the interest of full disclosure, I must tell you I have watched Brokeback Mountain no less than 45 times and I own the Limited Edition DVD, signed by Willie Nelson a short time after he wrote that ***** cowboy song as a tribute to the courage of the producers and actors who broke such incredible creative ground when they made their agenda-less movie. Serious. Until I saw Bendover Brokeback, Braveheart was my favorite movie. But the love scenes of Brokeback sucked me right in and I had no choice but to give myself over to the passion of its wide open range, if you get my drift. Such courage this young man and his collaegues have. Reminds me of the courage of classic movie stars, where during the War they enlisted and flew bomber planes and fought on frontlines, then came back and picked up their lives and careers right where they left off, without anti-American sentiment, whining and complaining, or self-destructive self indulgence. I’m equally inspired.
Apparently, Leather Hedger had sleeping troubles and anxiety and dealt with terrible mood swings. So do soldiers but they don’t self-destructively **** up their lives. In fact, they don’t sleep, handle anxiety and mood swings while dealing with whether or not they might at any moment lose their life. And they do this all the while they are dangerously protecting the freedom of others to **** up their own. By the way, how many 28 (or older or younger) year old soldiers met their death yesterday? It’s not easy to find out. None of them made the headlines of any news.
By today’s standard, though, I do have to agree that he was a great father. Perhaps even greater then the father of the year, Hulk Hogan. After all, Leather Hedger did what it took to kill himself. His kid is without a father, yes, but the negative influence is now removed and his own child has the chance for a full recovery. Hogan, on the other hand, won’t go quite that far. He insists on sticking around to keep further ruining, and profiting off of, the parentally mismanaged lives of his own children.
It is sad and tragic….that we don’t demand attention be paid to greater things.Ledger starved himself of sleep to get a better "feel" of his character. To say Warrior's an actor is like saying his bullshit makes sense.
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Post by amsiraK on Jan 23, 2008 16:59:10 GMT -5
To be fair, in that insane rambling of Warrior's, he does make a few good points. The fact that he uses his time to take yet another potshot at Hogan kinda diminishes it, though. But this isn't a thread on Crazy Jim. I always liked Heath - there was just something about the characters he played that I enjoyed. I can't explain it. And A Knight's Tale was loads of fun. RIP
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Post by CrazySting on Jan 23, 2008 17:02:05 GMT -5
So Jim "I'd Rather Smash My Genitals In A Toilet Seat Rather Than Show Any Form Of Tact" Hellwig, legal name Warrior, has commented on Heath Ledger's death on his blog... In the interest of full disclosure, I must tell you I have watched Brokeback Mountain no less than 45 times and I own the Limited Edition DVD, signed by Willie Nelson a short time after he wrote that ***** cowboy song as a tribute to the courage of the producers and actors who broke such incredible creative ground when they made their agenda-less movie. Serious. Until I saw Bendover Brokeback, Braveheart was my favorite movie. But the love scenes of Brokeback sucked me right in and I had no choice but to give myself over to the passion of its wide open range, if you get my drift. Such courage this young man and his collaegues have. Reminds me of the courage of classic movie stars, where during the War they enlisted and flew bomber planes and fought on frontlines, then came back and picked up their lives and careers right where they left off, without anti-American sentiment, whining and complaining, or self-destructive self indulgence. I’m equally inspired.
Apparently, Leather Hedger had sleeping troubles and anxiety and dealt with terrible mood swings. So do soldiers but they don’t self-destructively **** up their lives. In fact, they don’t sleep, handle anxiety and mood swings while dealing with whether or not they might at any moment lose their life. And they do this all the while they are dangerously protecting the freedom of others to **** up their own. By the way, how many 28 (or older or younger) year old soldiers met their death yesterday? It’s not easy to find out. None of them made the headlines of any news.
By today’s standard, though, I do have to agree that he was a great father. Perhaps even greater then the father of the year, Hulk Hogan. After all, Leather Hedger did what it took to kill himself. His kid is without a father, yes, but the negative influence is now removed and his own child has the chance for a full recovery. Hogan, on the other hand, won’t go quite that far. He insists on sticking around to keep further ruining, and profiting off of, the parentally mismanaged lives of his own children.
It is sad and tragic….that we don’t demand attention be paid to greater things.Ledger starved himself of sleep to get a better "feel" of his character. To say Warrior's an actor is like saying his bullcrap makes sense. Filming on the dark knight finished months ago. And now theere were reports of other drugs going around. How do you explan that? I'm sorry he'd dead, but I'm not going to say 'it was all because of a movie role'. He chose to get himself smurfed up and it had nothing to do with a comic book movie.
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