A Few Things and Theres Nothing I Hate About You….

When I first heard about the sudden and not so dramatic death of actor Heath Ledger, I too like so many others jumped to conclusions. But my only conclusion was he ODed on something. With celebrities all too often that happens. And it especially happens to great performers and artists such as the young Mr. Ledger. My most immediate memory of Heath was his role in the Movie “Ten Things I Hate About You” starring along side Julia Stiles, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and David Krumholtz. Heath played a reluctant James Dean type who wondered into happenstance involving a beautiful blond prize, Julia Stiles. Later Heath would venture into bigger and more prestigious roles in movies like The Patriot and soon to be out, “The Dark Night” another Batman sequel.

Yes I remember “Broke Back Mountain” now that you mention it! Yes I saw the movie and I liked what he did for his character. The movie as a whole was very entertaining and original. But it had to be mentioned didn’t it? Why not? It was a movie about gay male love. And the innuendos must fly like all the political mud being thrown around on and off camera and all over the net and the airwaves. We must remember Broke fucking Back Mountain because maybe Heath denied God or Christ or something (by kissing a boy) and the only true repentance is death by sleeping pills. Until the first part of this week, I forgot about Broke Back.

If you want to mention that movie, you may want to mention its authenticity and the fact that Heath and co star Jake Gyllenhaal did a bang up job of being authentic! I must admit I wasn’t captivated by this flick. But I wasn’t equally inspired by Titanic either. In fact, as a joke, I mailed a copy of Broke Back to an extremely homo phobic friend in New Jersey as a joke. My best friend of several thirty years was out of the country when it arrived and his neighbors must have raided his mail because he never received it? Oops….. I wonder what his neighbors are saying about him now. A prank that yielded even better than expected results.

I forgot about Broke Back. Not that it should be forgotten. But why couldn’t Heath be remembered for his upcoming role as the legendary Joker in a Batman sequel? Batman is going to have one bitter angry teen on his hands this time around. Well, actually Heath is just this side of thirty. But he was certainly teenage and a very handsome heartthrob masculine type in the movie with Julia Stiles. Wait! Now I’m doing it too! Do I prefer a heterosexual role over a gay one? Aren’t I equally hypocritical?

You know what? It doesn’t matter what movie and it what context of a role he had played or would have played. Heath had a very keen and unpretentious real talent about him didn’t he? He was the kind of guy men of all ages wished they had been like at his age. You know the kind? The no nonsense approach, yet human, pretty faced yet manly, sword and spear talisman that guards kingdoms and only kisses chicks on the first date to help their self esteem because he’s a nice guy.

In Godfather IV, he could have played Anthony Corleone’s adopted cousin. In Legally Blond III, he could have played the politician’s accident prone son that Reese Witherspoon’s character would have to defend and of course succeed in doing so. I’m being silly.

OK. Maybe we should remember Heath for his part in Broke Back primarily over his other works save for the new Batman thriller! But in what context? And all for the purpose of labeling homosexuals as belonging to some sort of liberal montage or whatever? Can’t you hear Fox News blundering it now? “Heath Ledger. Best known for playing the homosexual lover in Broke Back…..died of a drug overdose……shear grief……sinful lifestyle….liberals are wailing…..dead career because of homo…..”. You get the picture.

I say we honor him! After all, he probably got to see Julia Stiles’ up close and personal…… There I go again.

None of it matters. He was a noble knight and a good man. A superb actor and a practitioner of the arts whose skill and attributes shall be remembered as a talent to be reckoned with and a soul redeemed. My heart goes out to his family who I am sure miss him even more so. I am sorry for your loss and ours.