It is truly amazing to see how much Heath Ledger touched people’s lives. Most of the time after a celebrity dies, people stop mentioning them after a month or two. But five months after Ledger’s untimely death, he is still very much in the news – especially with the release of The Dark Knight, for which Ledger has earned a good deal of Oscar buzz.

Heath was honored by his hometown of Perth, Australia today. The city chose to name their new $87 million theater after Ledger.

The Australian hometown of the late actor Heath Ledger named a theater in his honor Tuesday for his commitment to acting.

The $87 million, 575-seat Heath Ledger Theater in Perth is a fitting tribute because Ledger was always supportive of other young actors, Western Australia state Premier Alan Carpenter said at a naming ceremony.

“Heath Ledger was totally dedicated to the craft of being an actor and that’s what made him successful,” Carpenter said. “I think what we’re doing is continuing that support for young people who want to make a career in the arts and acting, stage and in film, whatever it happens to be.”

Kim Ledger, the actor’s father, called the tribute a pleasant surprise. “He was such a giver to the arts right across the board. I really feel that there’s not a lot of things he’d put his name to, but he’d put his name to that,” said Kim Ledger, who attended Tuesday’s ceremony.

[From the Huffington Post]

I think that’s a truly beautiful tribute to Ledger’s memory. And very fitting. There was so much inappropriate speculation after he died, and it is nice to know that he will ultimately be remembered and honored in a decent way.

Batman: the Dark Knight hasn’t premiered yet and Heath Ledger’s performance is already garnering high praise. The word Oscar was thrown into the ring by Rolling Stone critic Peter Travers.

It’s typical of Ledger’s total commitment to films as diverse as Brokeback Mountain and I’m Not There that he does nothing out of vanity or the need to be liked. If there’s a movement to get him the first posthumous Oscar since Peter Finch won for 1976’s Network, sign me up. Ledger’s Joker has no gray areas — he’s all rampaging id.

[Rolling Stone]

In fact the entire movie review is about Ledger, not the main character Batman. Bale’s portrayal of the black masked hero has taken a back seat to the pure brilliance and flat out talent that Heath radiates in the new thriller. Former “Batman” movies were, in my opinion, cheesy at best. Gotham city was a playground for neon encrusted villains who turned a superhero thriller into a hokey dramedy. There is reportedly nothing funny about the darker and deeper version that Christopher Nolan has brought to life. The new addition to the superhero hype has fast become one of the most anticipated movies of the summer.

Christian Bale, who plays Batman, spoke with Parade about his work with Heath. He sang his co-star’s praises and hopes that Heath’s work as the Joker will be celebrated and be given the respect it deserves.

“I hope in a small way that The Dark Knight can be a celebration of his work,” he says. “Not like the hideous circus after he died, which I felt was an invasion of a private life. This movie is not a personal home video. This is what he did. I hope people will embrace that in the correct fashion.”

[From Parade Magazine via People.com]

Judging from the trailers and reviews for the film, his performance will speak for itself. When I first heard Heath was cast as the Joker, I immediately thought “Really? That scrawny pretty man is going to be the ham sandwich-crazy Joker?” I stand corrected.

The Dark Knight is out in the US on July 18.

Here are two trailers:

Michelle Williams will be boycotting the upcoming premiere of the new Batman movie Dark Knight. Heath Ledger’s family will be flying in from Australia to attend, representing Heath. However according to the New York Post, the Ledgers and Williams are feuding over Heath’s will.

Part of the problem is that Ledger never updated it after he and Williams had daughter Matilda, now 2. His old will, written in 2003, had his father as the main beneficiary. However Matilda is supposed to be the beneficiary now, and the Ledgers have publicly stated that she will be taken care of. But Michelle has supposedly not gotten anything from the family yet, and is pretty upset.

HEATH Ledger’s father, Kim, mother, Emma, and other family members are flying in for the “Dark Knight” premiere on July 14 for what some are calling a “sort of tribute” to him - but don’t expect to see his ex, Michelle Williams, or daughter, Matilda. An insider said, “Michelle is furious with Heath’s family and threatening to boycott the premiere. Matilda is supposed to be the beneficiary of the will, but Michelle has seen nothing from them. Heath didn’t have much in cash, but there was a big house in LA and a back-end deal for ‘Dark Knight’ [that] could reap millions.”

Ledger’s will, made out in 2003 before Matilda was born, left everything to his father, mother and sisters. But Matilda is now considered the beneficiary, and Kim is the executor. Williams fears that by the time Matilda reaches 18 and can cash in on her inheritance, nothing will be left. Years ago, Kim’s brothers charged that he mismanaged their father’s estate, losing millions. A rep for Williams didn’t return repeated calls.

[From Page Six]

The issue of Kim Ledger’s mismanagement of his late father’s estate does appear to be a pretty legitimate concern, as all the money was lost and the estate ended up in debt. My first thought was that as an actress, you’d think Michelle Williams could afford to take care of Matilda just fine. But that’s really not the issue – Heath’s daughter has a right to what her father presumably would have left her.

Page Six doesn’t make it clear if Matilda is now supposed to be the beneficiary of the will legally or if it’s just that the Ledgers promised she would be. All of that said, it seems like the mature thing would be for Michelle to go to the premiere and try to keep relations friendly. It’s likely that Matilda will want to have a good relationship with Heath’s family as a way of staying connected to her dad. Hopefully both sides will work through their issues for that reason alone.

Here’s Michelle Williams and Matilda taking a walk for coffee in sunny NYC on June 8th. Images thanks to Splash.

Heath Ledger’s family will reportedly travel from Australia to represent the late actor at the opening of his film, “The Dark Knight,” in which he portrayed notorious comic book villain The Joker. The film is one of the most highly anticipated movies of the summer blockbuster season and many believe would have catapulted Ledger to Tom Cruise/Will Smith heights of fame had he lived.

Word is that Heath Ledger’s family will travel from Australia to attend the world premiere of “The Dark Knight,” the late actor’s final completed film, in New York in late June. (Update: buzz is the NY premiere will be on July 15) The film has been dedicated to Ledger by the director, Christopher Nolan, and will have a memoriam to the actor at the end.

In this latest installment of “Batman,” Ledger plays the Joker with a terrifyingly psychotic performance that, to me, surpasses Jack Nicholsen’s in large part because Jack was basically doing Jack wearing clown makeup (not that there’s anything wrong with that).

But Heath’s creepy performance (with garish melted makeup like that of “The Crow,” played by Brandon Lee, who also died needlessly young) seems to have summoned up demons no one could have imagined accessible to him, particularly after his seeemingly effortless Oscar-nominated role as Ennis del Mar, the emotionally repressed, painfully shy and inarticulate cowboy in “Brokeback Mountain.” There’s already rumors floating around Hollywood that his “Dark Knight” role will earn Ledger some posthumous supporting actor nods at the 2009 Oscar, Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild awards.

[From the LA Times]

Personally, I cannot wait to see this film. The teasers look amazing, and the first film in this new franchise was great. I’d feel that way about the film whether or not Ledger had survived. This must be a very bittersweet occasion for his family, however. I can understand why they’d want to come out and support his film, but at the same time, they must get sick of all the questions and cameras pointing at them.

Kim Ledger is shown making a statement to the press before Heath’s memorial service on 2/8/08, thanks to Splash.

Sienna Miller seeks solace in some pajamas that Heath Ledger had lent her after a walk in the rain. The actress, who costarred with Ledger in the film “Casanova,” became very close to him while working together. As many others also miss him dearly, Sienna finds comfort in what he has left behind.

“It had been pouring with rain and Heath ran out in the middle of St. Mark’s Square and we were running around, and I slipped over on my arse. He picked me up and everyone started laughing. We all ran back to his flat and he gave me these dry pajamas to get home in.”

[E Online]

She somehow kept them for two years. Then after Heath had stopped by and last November she gave them back in effort to help his sleep deprivation. When he passed away she was regretful that she had returned them. Being a nice guy, Heath’s father gave them back to Sienna. The comforting pajamas are now with Miller in Prague where she is filming “G.I. Joe” without her latest former fiancé Rhys Ifans.

Sienna dumped Rhys because she is too “selfish” to settle down anytime soon. The couple was rumored to be engaged and planning a summer wedding. Reps never confirmed they were planning to tie the knot. Some people claim that she was cheating on the Welshman while others state that he was suffocating her with his jealous ways.

“When it comes to settling down, I chop and change,” Miller admitted. “I really thought I was ready for it, and then I realized that I wanted to be selfish for a little bit longer. I’m full of curiosity. I know that as soon as I have a child it will probably be everything, and I don’t want to regret not doing more. I’ll always work, I hope, but I want to have the freedom to go to India tomorrow for three months. The press will say, ‘She doesn’t love Rhys’ and ‘She’s selfish!’, but I’m 26 and I have time and when it’s right it will happen.”

[Us Magazine]

Nothing wrong with being a wee bit slutty. I don’t think anyone ever believed she was actually going to Ifans anyway. It takes a very loving woman to wake up next a man like Ifans every morning. You’d think you accident gotten into bed with Hobgoblin.

Heath Ledger, Sienna Miller and Jeremy Irons are shown at the arriving at the Casanova premiere in NY on 12/12/05, thanks to WENN.

Even though they were separated at the time of Heath Ledger’s death, Michelle Williams is still regarded as his widow of sorts. The actress is the mother of Ledger’s only child, and she took the news of his death very hard. Many insiders felt that the pair would have eventually reconciled. Now, Michelle is working with a film director to set up a scholarship fund for aspiring Australian actors in Heath’s name.

Aussies with Hollywood dreams will be given the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of the late Heath Ledger.

At Thursday’s Australians in Film 2008 Breakthrough Awards in Beverly Hills, director Gregor Jordan announced the formation of a Heath Ledger scholarship fund to help struggling Australian actors. The plan is to select one young actor from Down Under each year — beginning next year — and give him or her the chance to make it in Hollywood.

Gregor, who became friends with Heath after directing him in 1999’s Two Hands, told the audience: “It’s going to involve a number of benefactors and there’s been a lot of interest already. I was talking to Michelle Williams, his partner and the mother of his child, today and Michelle has said she would be very proud and happy to be the first benefactor.”

[From Star Magazine]

This is a pretty cool idea, although I’m still unclear on how a scholarship is going to help a struggling actor make it in Hollywood. Isn’t that more about what you look like, who you know and who your agent will step on to get you a role? Or am I watching too much “Entourage?” Anyway, kudos to Michelle for agreeing to be a benefactor.

Michelle Williams is shown at the premiere of Synedoche, New York in Cannes with her co-stars Samantha Morton and Catherine Keener on 5/23/08, thanks to WENN.

Mary-Kate Olsen gets quite the complementary write-up in the upcoming issue of Elle magazine. The mag talks to the young fashionista about business, her relationship with sister Ashley, and even interviews Lauren Hutton, Karl Lagerfeld, and Diane von Furstenberg about their opinions of the pint-sized style icon.

* On Ashley: “We don’t agree all the time. The way we go about business or designing or making a decision is that we come at it from two completely different angles that at the end of the day, even when we don’t think we’re agreeing with each other, we are agreeing. We’re just getting there in different ways. Unless you’re a twin, you honestly can’t know how close twins can be. There’s such a strength, but that also makes it…” Her voice trails off. “When there’s that much love there’s…Well, there’s the opposite of everything, but it stems from love, and it stems from passion. We’re driven people. I do know I can’t work in an office. Ashley, on the other hand, loves going to an office.”

* On being sexy: “I feel like I can be sexy when I want to be,” she says. “I think all women are sexy. Some may feel it more than others. I personally think the women who are the most sexy are the women who are truly themselves, whatever that may be.”

* On her fashion: “I don’t know—you’re either on the worst-dressed list or you’ve started a fashion trend. I think there’s a real disconnect between the media’s perception of fashion and the fashion world’s idea of fashion. I don’t know why I wear some of the things I wear. I like wearing crazy things sometimes. I like being playful. Sometimes I feel like I’m playing dress-up and becoming a character. It’s sort of like an art. It can change your mood or the way that people are attracted to you.”

[From Elle via PopSugar]

The Olsen twins are nothing if not good businesswomen. At one point in the interview Mary-Kate says she doesn’t consider herself a celebrity, and says that’s “a media perception” of who she is. Mary-Kate has definitely focused more on fashion than acting in the last several years. And though many of us puzzle at her wardrobe choices, designers in the know are constantly touting her fashion-forwardness.

* Lauren Hutton on MK: “I feel like M.K. is a kindred spirit. She lives an experimental life. When you’re young, you should be trying on lots of things, not just clothes. She understands that. You’re not born with taste. That’s a bunch of hooey. Like everything else, taste is a process of discovery. I like that about her. She’s always discovering her tastes.”

* Karl Lagerfeld on MK: “I love a tiny woman in Chanel. Coco herself was tiny, so you don’t need to be a giant to look good in these. I like the way M.K. is mixing Chanel with other things. Life is not a fashion show, and I find a total designer look boring.”

* DvF on MK: “Mary-Kate is fragile yet strong…She’s an old soul in a very young girl. Hers is a story that has just begun.”

[From Elle via PopSugar]

Elle asks Mary-Kate to comment on Heath Ledger’s death. Olsen was called several times by the masseuse who found Ledger’s body – Mary-Kate instructed her to wait for her own security to come over instead of calling the police, a move that has yet to be explained.

After nearly five months, Mary-Kate Olsen still refuses to speak about the fact that she was the first person called after Heath Ledger was found dead in his apartment.

“I’m not going to comment on that,” Olsen, who turns 22 on June 13, tells Elle in its July issue. “I won’t give you a word about that in the nicest way possible. Let’s move on.”

[From People]

That’s technically a polite enough response, though certainly fairly cryptic. It remains to be seen whether Mary-Kate will ever explain her connection and her advice during those critical 45 minutes. I’ve mentioned before that I’m pretty sure the Olsen twins don’t actually have voice boxes, because I can’t remember hearing them speak past the age of 15. For a girl who has been so quiet, it sounds like Mary-Kate actually has a lot to say.

A third theatrical trailer has been released for the much-anticipated Batman Begins sequel, The Dark Knight, featuring Heath Ledger in one of his last performances. Heath’s Joker promises to be chilling and formidable and this latest trailer really showcases his character. The Dark Knight is out in the US on July 18 and is likely to be one of the summer’s biggest blockbusters.

Here’s the trailer from YouTube. You can watch it in higher quality on WhySoSerious.com (That’s the direct link, which I couldn’t find from the main page on their site. Thanks to the National Enquirer for linking this.)

In related news, Toys “R” Us can’t keep up with the extremely high demand for toy Joker dolls. An action figure based on his character in the Dark Knight is a big seller for the chain, and they can’t keep them stocked on the shelves. The NY Post reports that people are buying them as collectors items and selling the $9.99 dolls along with other figures from the series for $50 and up on eBay. The Post anticipated that this would happen, and quoted a toy expert in February who said that the dolls were sure to become collectors items due to Heath’s untimely death.

Heath’s family has said that they approve of action figures being released of his character, because he was very proud of his role in the film and would have wanted the figures to be released.

A lawsuit over the Heath Ledger video that was pulled from US entertainment shows after pressure from his PR firm, showing Heath talking about and taking drugs, claims that the video was a set up by the paparazzi. A woman who used to date one of the photographers is suing for unknowingly appearing in the video as well as having her hotel room appropriated for what she claims was a frame up:

The Australian film star accepted drugs from two photographers, who then videoed him talking about using marijuana, footage that created an international outcry when it surfaced after his death in January.

The video was condemned by Mr Ledger’s family and pulled from US television shows at their request, but has still raised more than $1million in international sales, the lawsuit claims. Legal papers filed in Los Angeles claim that Ledger had his own supply of cocaine, but that the notorious video was a set up.

The ex-girlfriend of one of the paparazzi is now suing for damages, claiming that her privacy was infringed because the filming took place in her hotel room and she appeared in the footage without her permission.

The legal papers claim that he was filmed in a room at the Chateau Marmont Hotel in Los Angeles in January 2006, as he celebrated winning a Screen Actors Guild award for his role in the film Brokeback Mountain, which also garnered him an Oscar nomination.

It says that one of the photographers “gave Ledger a package of cocaine. Mr Ledger also had some of his own. The cocaine was put on the table, and the men began snorting cocaine.”

The woman, who has filed the claim anonymously, says she did not take the drug. The papers say the same photographer who brought the drugs then left, and was soon “outside of our hotel room, on the balcony, hidden, shooting video footage of everyone in the room”.

The video, which did not show Mr Ledger actually snorting cocaine, has been broadcast on the internet. It shows the actor rolling a cigarette paper and saying: “I used to smoke five joints a day for 20 years.”

Telegraph

Her lawyer, Douglas Johnson, said, in what may be the understatement of the year, “This is bad stuff. You don’t give drug addicts drugs so you can then tape them.”

This behavior by the paparazzi is pretty disgusting, so I’m really hoping that the people supposedly responsible get an absolute arse kicking if this is true.

Michael Johns, the Australian-born American Idol contestant who was eliminated from the competition last week, has come out with his own comment about Heath Ledger – he knows nothing!

Speaking from the US, a day after being booted off American Idol, Johns said reports that he was friends with Ledger and had dedicated his Idol experience to him were untrue.

“I wasn’t friends with Heath Ledger at all,” Johns said.

“The guy’s a legend, I thought he did great in his career, and will be sorely missed, but I never said that.”

Johns said he was so angry about the story which quoted a “friend” and was widely circulated around the world, that he asked his mum to contact the Ledgers to set the story straight.

“When I saw that come out in Star Magazine I was livid,” he said.

“I actually told my mum when she got back to Perth please reach out to Heath’s family and let them know that that’s absolutely bogus.”

The West Australian

I don’t know how Star Magazine is with its geography, but Perth is a big place. It’s not exactly the kind of place where everyone knows all their neighbors, considering the population is around 1.5 million people.

————————-possible Dark Knight spoilers————————-
In other Heath Ledger news, the body bag scene from the up coming Dark Knight film looks to be kept intact. Which is good news for everyone involved – you don’t want to work so hard on a film to have integral scenes cut from it. Besides, it might be a reminder for people that Heath’s character was not him. It was a fictional character.

Note by Celebitchy: I read most of this lawsuit, and I’m glad Helen reported on it because it made me sad and I didn’t know what to say about it at first. The thing that struck me about this story was the fact that Heath is said to have found out at some point that he was being taped secretly, and the guys kept assuring him that they would destroy the footage and that he had nothing to worry about.

This completely explained to me why Heath hated the paparazzi and often looked annoyed and grumpy when he was photographed out - he was once set up by them, supplied drugs and taped doing them. So he had firsthand experience with how duplicitous the paparazzi could be, and he also had this potential bombshell hanging over his head. He must have worried about what would have happened if this video came out, and that’s something that can bother you in even the happiest moments, creeping into your thoughts and haunting you. He was a troubled guy in a lot of ways, but he had a lot to worry about too. At least his death was an accident, but it happened because he was taking prescription drugs to try and cope with insomnia and racing thoughts. It’s no one’s fault, but you can understand a little more what he was going through.

Thanks to PRPhotos for these pictures of the memorial set up outside the apartment Heath was renting in NY.

Heath Ledger’s uncle gave an interview to US Weekly in which he made it clear that his brother was widely misquoted on the “Heath Ledger love child” story that had everyone talking earlier in the week. Heath’s uncle, Haydn Ledger, was quoted as saying a love child of Heath’s was a “real possibility,” but Heath’s other uncle, Mike, says his brother just gave a noncommittal response like “anything is possible,” not something like “that’s really possible.”

One thing Heath’s other uncle said that made it sound like this could be true though, is that “it’s been a rumor for a long time.”

How did the rumors start?
All my brother Haydn said was that anything is possible, and from there, it just went absolutely berserk. At the end of the day, our thoughts are with the little girl in question, and we’re not prepared to make any more comments at all.

So Haydn said something, and it was taken out of context?
Yes. Haydn was asked a question that wasn’t’t directly related to the Heath issue: ‘If someone was this age, could it be possible?’ and Haydn said ‘Anything is possible,’ and that’s it. His statement was absolutely taken out of context. Absolutely.

So you and Haydn don’t know for a fact if Heath had another child or not?
No. It’s just a rumor! It’s been a rumor for a long while.

Did you and the rest of Heath’s family know about Heath having a girlfriend who was older?
There were rumors. He was a young, good-looking guy, and he attracted lots of women.

[From US Weekly]

The Daily Mail has one of their long suggestive stories about an interview with the unnamed woman who is rumored to have had Heath’s love child after a 1996 affair when he was 17 and she was 25. The woman had a daughter after they broke up. The Daily Mail titles the article “Heath Ledger ‘former lover’ refuses to confirm whether he fathered her 11-year-old,” but the woman didn’t “refuse to confirm” it at all, she said “no” flat out, in a statement at the end.

The woman’s husband, who it sounds like was not around at the time the girl was born as he knows he is not the father, says that they would gladly submit to a DNA test, but Heath’s former lover says that’s out of the question, but that he’s not the father anyway.

Agreeing that he was not the girl’s father, the woman’s husband said: “I’m the step-dad, but there’s nothing to hide…and if I asked (the mother) I’m sure that she wouldn’t mind (to have a DNA test).”

But he wondered how they could even get Heath Ledger’s DNA.

However, his wife refused to have any part of the DNA suggestion.

“I’m not answering anything,” she said. “I think it’s very, very rude that I’m being posed all of this. I really do. I can’t talk about anything…”

“When you are considering an 11-year-old girl who has to go to school and be a part of society, that is my main concern,” she said.

Of the persistent rumours, she said: “You have no proof, there’s no background, there’s no grounds, there’s no nothing.

“I’m not going to answer anything or go into anything at all.” Her husband supported her denials.

“The whole thing with that (Heath being the father) is no. No way. No can be. It would probably be a great thing if she was, but no.”

[From The Daily Mail]

If the Daily Mail didn’t completely make up that interview, and I definitely wouldn’t put it past them, then the mother sounds like she’s completely denying that Heath is the father. Even if he is the father, she doesn’t want to acknowledge that possibility and is not going after any of Heath’s estate, assuming this interview is real. (The Mail is hardly accountable for it given that they don’t give a name or any other details that would explain how they were able to get in touch with her.)

As it is, the only one fueling these “love child” rumors is the media, looking for some more dirt to dig up on a dead guy who died of a prescription drug interaction.