Heathledger.com

Batman star Christian Bale’s arrest over an alleged assault on his mother and sister may have been linked to a build-up of stress and grief over the loss of his friend Heath Ledger.

Sources told Britain’s Daily Mail that Bale had been deeply affected by the Australian actor’s death from an accidental overdose, and that Ledger’s loss had affected Bale’s ability to communicate with those around him.

Bale, who plays Batman in The Dark Knight, was arrested and bailed over the alleged assault yesterday, after he spent four hours at a London police station.

Bale lost his temper in a London hotel room after his mother allegedly insulted his wife, the Mail report said.

Bale and Ledger, who plays a maniacal Joker in the latest Batman flick, became mates when they both played Bob Dylan in the 2007 movie I’m Not There.

An unnamed friend told the Mail: “Christian pretends he’s calm and collected but you really started to see the cracks in his facade in January, right after Heath Ledger had died.

“Christian was in the middle of a very brief break from work when he heard the news, and it was massive blow to him.

Continue Reading »

Show your desktop some love, here are some 1027×768 wallpapers.

Came across this and thought I would share it with the DK Fans Enjoy!

 Loading ...

According to a Fandango.com poll conducted this weekend, 64 percent of people who saw The Dark Knight would see it again in the theater, making it even more impossible for the rest of us to see it just once. THANKS A LOT.

The movie I saw the most in a theater was American Beauty. I was a freshman in college and terrified that I wouldn’t make any friends, so I just kept saying yes to new people who wanted to go. (Um, there was a Ground Round right next to the theater and we inexplicably went there, too.) I think I saw it four times, maybe seven. Since 1999, I’ve spoken to those movie companions zero times, yet almost always watch part or all of American Beauty when it’s on HBO even though I’m sick of it by now. Priorities, I guess. You know what those dorm mates would say to me today? “It’s okay, Annie. I wouldn’t remember me either.” JK people!

Source

Sorry Spidey, but the Caped Crusader is the new king of the box office.

“The Dark Knight” opened with record-breaking numbers this weekend, taking in an astounding $158.3 million from Friday – Sunday, knocking “Spider-Man 3” from atop the box office record books.

In 2007, the third installment in the Spider-Man franchise opened with $151 million.

But that wasn’t the only record “The Dark Knight” claimed in its opening weekend. In fact, a total of eight records now belong to Batman and friends.

The film, starring Christian Bale and the late Heath Ledger, also posted the biggest single day ever at the box office, taking in a whopping $67 million on Friday alone – another record previously held by “Spider-Man 3.”

Here is a complete breakdown of the eight box office records “The Dark Knight” now holds after its opening weekend:

- Largest number of opening theaters with 4,366 (Previous record: “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” opened in 4,362 theaters in 2007).

- Biggest midnight preview gross with $18.4 million in 3,040 theaters (Previous record: “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith” and its $16.9 million in 2,915 theaters in 2005).

- Biggest IMAX midnight previews, setting a new record with $640,000 (included in the $18.4 million preview number).

- Biggest single-day gross in box-office history with $67.8 million (Previous record: bests the $59,841,919 set by “Spider-Man 3” in 2007).

-Biggest opening weekend gross in box office history with $158.3 million (Previous record: beats the $151,116 million set by “Spider-Man 3” in 2007).

-Biggest opening weekend gross for an IMAX release in box office history with $6,214,061 million in 94 theaters with $66,107 per theater. (Previous record: $4.7 million set by “Spider-Man 3” in 2007.)

- Biggest opening weekend of 2008 with $158.3 million (Previous record: “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” with $101.1 million from May 23-25, 2008)

- Biggest July opening ever (Previous record: “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” with $135,634,554 on July 7, 2006).

Source - Access Hollywood

The Dark Knight, the new Batman film, has set a record at the US box office, smashing the opening-weekend high of last year’s Spiderman 3 to take more than $155 million in its first three days.

Described as the year’s most anticipated film, the superhero sequel from English filmmaker Christopher Nolan attracted sell-out audiences at a record number of cinemas across the US. Many hosted round-the-clock screenings from midnight on Thursday to accommodate crowds, some of whom showed up dressed as characters from the film.

Warner Bros said the $180 million production, which co-stars the late Heath Ledger as the Joker, was set to take $155.3 million in ticket sales, surpassing Sony’s Spiderman 3 which made $151.1 million in its debut weekend last May.

The film’s extraordinary debut suggests it could be on course to become the most lucrative comic book adaptation in history. It also demonstrates how central the once-niche genre now is to Hollywood, with major studios increasingly looking to the heroes and villains of hand-drawn strips to provide a stream of box office hits.

Source

 Loading ...

OK, now that legions of moviegoers are shrieking “Oscar! Oscar! Oscar!” after seeing Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight,” which category should he enter: lead or supporting?

That’s a tricky Oscar question. On one hand you might think Heath Ledger should go supporting because, technically speaking, “The Dark Knight” is a film about Batman. But come on, Heath Ledger has the big, flashy role — he’s the chief force bearing down on all of the terrifying action — and it’s his spooktacular performance that moviegoers are storming theaters to see.

A good analogy might be Forest Whitaker, who recently won best actor in “Last King of Scotland.” James McAvoy actually had the main role, as measured by the most dialogue and screen time, but his performance as a good doctor was dwarfed, crushed and left trembling in the shadow of his monstrous patient.

The same was true for Denzel Washington, who won best actor for “Training Day.” He had less screen time than costar Ethan Hawke, but Hawke was so overwhelmed by Washington’s performance as a ferocious, corrupt cop that he dutifully ducked into the supporting race and let Washington go lead.

Sometimes it’s the size of the role, emotionally speaking, that determines whether it should be defined as lead or supporting. Sure, Anthony Hopkins only appeared in 22 minutes of “The Silence of the Lambs,” but he won best actor because he gobbled up the scenery, the screen and everything else as Hannibal the Cannibal. Academy members didn’t dare to deny him an Oscar statuette for dessert.

Heath Ledger’s role in “The Dark Knight” is very similar to Hopkins’ in “Lambs,” come to think of it — so creepy that it continues to haunt moviegoers long after they flee theaters, terrified.

However, in terms of traditional category placement, Heath Ledger may have the best shot to win in supporting. When Jack Nicholson played the Joker in “Batman” in 1989, he was nominated in supporting at the Golden Globes (then was snubbed by Oscar voters, strangely).

And traditionally, that’s where the cartoonishly crazy roles are put — Ben Kingsley in “Sexy Beast,” James Coburn in “Affliction.” And speaking of Coburn, that reminds us of another aspect of the supporting race that may apply to Heath Ledger: If he wins an Oscar in February for “The Dark Knight,” it will largely be because Academy voters want to salute an impressive, if brief, career that included a past Oscar nomination (”Brokeback Mountain”).

That qualifies Ledger as a perfect candidate for a veteran achievement award, which is the unofficial nickname of the supporting-actor category when it goes to the likes of Alan Arkin in “Little Miss Sunshine,” Martin Landau in “Ed Wood” or Jack Palance in “City Slickers.”

But, wait! Maybe it doesn’t matter what category Heath Ledger lands in, since some Oscarologists believe he’s doomed at the Academy Awards where only one star has ever won from the grave.

Photo: Warner Bros.

Source

Don’t get carried away with all of the Oscar buzz for Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight” that you see in USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Reuters, everywhere. Remember: Only one star has won an Oscar from the grave (Peter Finch, “Network”) and roles like the Joker are rarely even nominated.

Maybe this next Oscars factoid may help to put things in more clear perspective. After the beloved Spencer Tracy died in 1967 after giving a dynamic, heartfelt performance in best picture nominee “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” he was widely expected to win best actor, but lost to Rod Steiger (”In the Heat of the Night”). However, Tracy’s de facto widow Katharine Hepburn won best actress for a rather tame turn with little screen time in “Dinner.”

Bottom line: Oscar voters wanted to bestow a hug after losing Tracy, yes — but they just didn’t want to hug the dead guy.

When Peter Finch passed away, the situation was very different from Tracy’s and Ledger’s. The latter stars died more than six months before the Oscarcast. Finch died from a heart attack just two weeks before the Golden Globes while he was actively campaigning to stop that juggernaut Robert DeNiro (”Taxi Driver”), who’d swept the film-critics’ awards. Oscar and Globe voters were still stunned by Finch’s loss when they inked their ballots and they couldn’t resist checking off his name.

Heath Ledger bears a striking similarity to James Dean. Both were heartthrob thespians whose promising careers were cut short by tragedy.  Dean had two posthumous Oscar nominations. The first — for “Giant” — came nearly half a year after Dean died in a car wreck. The next year he was nommed for “East of Eden” and he lost both times.

When Oscar nominations come out next January, Heath Ledger will have been dead for a year. Given all of the Oscar hubbub he’s generating now, I’m sure he’ll be on that list of contenders, but can he really win?

Oscar voters aren’t wild about campy villain roles in popcorn flicks like “Dark Knight.” The only time one got nominated was Al Pacino as Big Boy Caprice in “Dick Tracy” (1990). Jack Nicholson’s widely celebrated Joker in “Batman” (1989) — the same role now played by Heath Ledger — was nominated for a Golden Globe, but not an Oscar, which is odd considering how nuts academy members are for Jack. (Nicholson holds the records for most nominations and wins among male actors.)

And Oscar voters don’t usually like villainous roles unless the actor rides to victory atop a best-picture sweep like Anthony Hopkins in “The Silence of the Lambs.”

But — wait — that old trend may be changing. Just this past year we saw the trophies for best actor and supporting actor go to stars portraying bloodthirsty monsters: Daniel Day-Lewis and Javier Bardem.

And maybe the whole world, even Hollywood, is different today than it was when those other posthumous Oscar examples occurred. If so, then maybe this joker can get the last laugh.

(Warner Bros.)

Source

The latest Batman movie, starring the late Heath Ledger as the Joker, took a record-breaking $65 million at the box office in America on its opening Friday, according to initial estimates.

Fuelled by strong reviews and predictions of a posthumous Oscar for the Australian actor who died during filming, The Dark Knight has generated a huge buzz among fans and many lined up for screenings wearing superhero outfits.

Warner Bros said its movie was the biggest midnight opening in history, grossing $18.5 million for its 12.01 am showings at venues across the country. It pulled in a further $46 million from 4,366 cinemas during the rest of Friday, the well-sourced Hollywood blogger Nikki Finke reported.

The record for the biggest single day previously was the $59.8 million taken on May 4, 2007 by Spider-Man 3 in 4,252 venues. And Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith had previously set the pace for a midnight show, earning $16.9 million in 2005.

Hollywood is now watching whether the latest Batman movie beats the overall $151 million record for an opening three-day weekend notched up by Spider-Man 3 last year.

Ledger, 28, died from an accidental prescription drug overdose in January in New York. His tragic death combined with the current craze for comic book superhero movies has produced enormous pre-release publicity and regular $11 tickets are changing hands for $150.

The Dark Knight also stars Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The new Batman movie, “The Dark Knight,” grossed a record $18.5 million from midnight preview screenings ahead of its official opening on Friday, according to box office tracking service Media By Numbers.

That tally includes receipts from 12:01 a.m. Friday showings only in 3,040 North American theaters — 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. screenings were not counted — and shatters the preview record of $16.9 million set by “Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith” in 2005, Media By Numbers said.

The film’s robust performance in advance screenings bolstered projections that “Dark Knight” was headed for an opening weekend of $100 million or more in the United States and Canada.

Its fortunes are further brightened by mostly positive reviews and a record wide release on Friday by Warner Bros, a unit of Time Warner Inc, in 4,366 U.S. and Canadian theaters.

“Dark Knight” cost about $180 million to produce.

A follow-up to 2005’s “Batman Begins,” which grossed about $372 million worldwide, “Dark Knight” reunites director Chris Nolan and star Christian Bale as the Caped Crusader. It also features the late Australian actor Heath Ledger in what turned out to be his last completed screen role, as Batman’s arch nemesis, the Joker.

Only 10 other movies have managed to cross the $100 million domestic box-office mark in their first weekend, led by “Spider-Man 3″ with $151 million in 2007 and “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” with $135.6 million in 2006.

Source