Heath Ledger: 1979-2008

Heath Ledger passed away today at the age of 28.

Anyone who’s read this site for any amount of time knows that Heath Ledger was discussed more than any other subject here, due to my excitement over his portrayal of The Joker in this summer’s new Batman film, The Dark Knight. More people have come here to read about Ledger as The Joker than any other thing I’ve ever written about, and I wish there was some way I could tell him that so that he’d know how many people he touched and inspired with his work over the years.

Ledger’s Joker casting was one of the greatest blind-sides in film history. Numerous actors had been aggressively rumored to be up for the part, but no one had heard a word about Ledger. When the announcement broke, the fans were in shock.

And from day one I loved it, because no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t picture Heath as The Joker. That’s why it was so brilliant and so perfect — I knew it would be something different, something special and something unexpected.

Director Christopher Nolan hired Ledger “because he was fearless,” and Ledger’s dedication to the role sent my excitement into orbit when I saw finally saw him in action in the trailer, which you can view here.

You’ll see Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Morgan Freeman in the trailer, but you won’t see Heath Ledger. There’s only The Joker. I’ve rarely seen an actor disappear so completely into a part that there’s not even a single trace left of him.

So Heath, wherever you are, thank you for always giving me something to look forward to. Thank you for sharing your talent with us, and please know that your work was loved and that it will be seen and admired forever.

Peace be with you, man. We’re lucky to have known you as long as we did.

A weekend of women and song

Two of my favorite things are concerts and girls who sing, and this weekend will be filled with both.

One of my best friends, Melissa, is celebrating her birthday day — happy birthday, Melissa! — and tonight a bunch of us are going to see Kelly Clarkson and Reba McEntire (at Freedom Hall in Louisville) to celebrate.

I’m not really a Reba fan, but I ache for Kelly Clarkson.

I’m actually hoping to somehow get her to notice me in the crowd and hire me to become the chef on her tour bus, where we’ll fall in love and life will be wonderful every day until the end of forever.

Seriously, Kelly. Think about it. I’ll make you laugh. I can cook whatever you like. It’ll be fun. I promise!

Please?

I should get home from the Kelly show just in time to see my original favorite female songbird, Lisa Loeb, on Late Night with Conan O’Brien.

If you can stay up that late, please check it out.

Lisa is finally releasing The Purple Tape on CD next Tuesday, January 22. It’s a collection of songs she recorded before her song “Stay” became, in 1994, the first number one song by an unsigned artist.

Her first official album, Tails, followed in 1995.

Her Firecracker album (from 1997) is one of my all-time top-five albums. Be sure, also, to pick up her more recent releases like Hello Lisa and The Way It Really Is.

Lisa’s currently working on a second children’s album and another studio record for grownups. More information on those projects will show up here as soon as I know it.

And then on Saturday, several us of are going to see one of my favorite gals, Garrison Starr, at a house concert in Louisville.

Details here.

So if you live in Louisville, be there!

And if you don’t live in Louisville, start driving, because this will be a show you can’t miss.

You won’t believe what her voice can do. Which is why you have to hear it for yourself.

Garrison’s most recent album is The Girl That Killed September. Check it out. And The Sound of You & Me. And Airstreams & Satellites. And Songs from Take-off to Landing. Just get them all. It’ll be easier that way.

It’s going to be a very good weekend.

Mulder and Scully! Mulder and Scully!

Update:

More pictures right here!

And they’re in high resolution!

Click the thumbnails for the larger versions:

SCULLY!

In a baby-blue button-up shirt!

The universe has smiled on me today.

_______________

Yes!

USA Today posted an article this morning about the new X-Files movie …

First look: ‘X-Files returns’ to theaters, minus alien mythology

… and it’s accompanied by two new photos of David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson as Fox Mulder and Dana Scully!


Click for the full-sized image

That’s a pair of beautiful people right there.

The movie’s being filmed in Vancouver now for a July 25 release.

USA Today’s caption says they’re FBI agents, but there’s no way they could possibly be back in the FBI again after being fugitives in the series finale, is there?

Series creator — and the movie’s director — Chris Carter says the movie won’t tap into the show’s long-running “mythology” but that it would be a stand-alone story:

“We spent a lot of time on (the mythology) and wrapped up a lot of threads” when the show went off the air in 2002, says Chris Carter, creator of the series and director of the new movie. “We want a stand-alone movie, not a mythology conspiracy one.”

Mr. Carter and I disagree pretty heavily on how many threads he “wrapped up,” and even though they spent a lot of screen time on the mythology, it was pretty clear in the final season that Carter had no idea where he was going.

Oh, well.

I’m just glad I’ll get to see Mulder and Scully again, and I hope the movie honors the characters and doesn’t try to come up with some stupid, crazy twist involving what’s happened to their relationship.

Carter says:

“For me, The X-Files has always been a romance,” he says. “They had an intellectual romance that’s very rare and restrained compared to so many relationships on TV. I think that’s what appealed most to the fans. And they’re back.”

Yes, Chris, but they also made a baby, and that appealed to us, too.

For more news on the movie, check out these websites:

X-Files News

Idealists Haven Forum

You can also click right here for my own X-Files coverage, including my own interview with David Duchovny, which was the coolest, most fulfilling moment of my entire writing career.

(The first article of mine that I ever saw in print in a magazine was my review of the first X-Files movie, and the editor knew I was in love with Gillian Anderson so they put my byline on top of a huge picture of Gillian as Scully. Awesome.)

There’d better not be any black alien oil in my nachos on July 25!

That’s only one week after the new Batman!

Best summer ever.