Esotropiart

It's amazing how fast news spreads on the web. Yesterday afternoon, actor Heath Ledger was found dead in his New York apartment. Probably less than an hour later, seemingly everyone already knew. I was going to post yesterday, just so I could be among the first five billion people to report it, but I forgot.

Normally I'm not at all interested in celebrity gossip. While I find it very unfortunate to hear of the death of any person, I don't generally give much regard to the happenings in the lives of famous people. The reason I felt led to report about Heath Ledger is that he is playing the important role of The Joker in the upcoming Batman movie, The Dark Knight. The first thing I thought of when I heard reports of his death were "I wonder if they finished the movie." I know, it's sad. I'm sure he would like to have been remembered for more than a random movie. But I'm sure, like everyone, he had family and friends who gave him more identity and made him feel valued in this world. It's too bad he died so young, and possibly because of some sort of sorrow or despair - based simply on the report that he was found with drugs that may have contributed to his untimely death.

At any rate, from the bits of web gossip I found in searches, it appears the filming of The Dark Knight was finished, and the movie is now in post production. I imagine there will be some sort of credit or memory given in the film to honor Mr. Ledger. I hope those that valued him most in this life will remember him for more than his portrayal of a psycho clown, even if it ends up being a great performance. I have to say that his face does resemble the general bone structure of some the classic Joker from the comics. It'll be interesting if Heath Ledger can also capture the persona as well. From the few pictures I've seen, the facial makeup looks more on the lines of the relative realism of a horribly marred face, rather than a perfectly defined clown visage (not sure if that'll be a plus or not). I look forward to seeing the movie, and perhaps it will add something to the experience, knowing that the actor is no longer here. It's a weird thought.

For more Batman fanfare and an early picture of Heath Ledger as Joker, see here.