CelebrityFIST!

Once upon a time…

Bill Hicks was a comedian.  Nah, that’s not right.  He was a fucking awesome comedian.  Back on October 1, 1993; he did The Late Night show of David Letterman’s.

It was cut.

Needless to say, Bill was furious about it.  So much so he wrote a 39 page letter to John Lahr of The New Yorker (found here) about being censored.  It was an opportunity to shine.  Actually it was his last also.

What most people didn’t know (including Letterman) was that Bill had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer on June 16th which had already metastasized to his liver.  He received chemo but it was far too late already.  He would be dead just 4 months after his deleted Letterman appearance.

I’m not one of those who’d say “Bill Hicks was (a) God”.  However, he was really fucking hilarious and really told it like it is.  His comedy was a mirror to reality; and it wasn’t always a pretty picture.

Last night (30 Jan 09), Letterman invited Bill’s mom on the show and he finally showed the cut piece.  Seeing and hearing Bill’s mom you can see who Bill took after.  Letterman, to his credit, was contrite and extremely apologetic.  He accepted full responsibility for cutting the piece and realize that

“It says more about me as a guy than it says about Bill because there was absolutely nothing wrong with it.”

So, with that as a backdrop, I’m proud to link you to Bill Hicks on Letterman.  I laughed my ass off.

Happier times…
One of the disadvantages of a blog sometimes is the decision whether to run something that will sound contrary to the WHOLE purpose of having a celebrity blog.

But fuck it…

Mel Gibson, Julia Stiles and Monster’s Ball director Marc Forster have taken part in a new 10-page U.S. magazine tribute to tragic movie star Heath Ledger.

The trio are joined by actors, actresses, screenwriters and filmmakers who worked with the late Aussie, who died from an accidental drug overdose last year. (IMDB)

…

Oh give me a break.

First of all let me say that Heath Ledger was a really good actor and, yeah, his Joker was impeccable.  I just wanna know where all this energy from Hollywood and the media was BEFORE he died.

I did a GIS and found 280 articles on from the magazine in question regarding his death.  Everything from “who was his massuese” to the “Mary Kate connection”.  Oh brother.

I have no problem with memorial pieces but 10 pages?!  Personally, I think it’s bad enough that the guy accidentally offed himself and left a young child behind who’s gonna have to bear the burden of not only losing a parent but a parent that the media can’t seem to get enough of.  I’m sure Michelle Williams might appreciate in some way but she and his parents are having enough time dealing with the anniversary as it is.

Quite making off money off his corpse already.  That’s all I’ve got.

(For the record, I don’t make a penny off of this blog; so “nyah”.)

Two class acts

In the last couple of days, two really cool actors passed away:

Ricardo Montalban, the suave leading man who was one of the first Mexican-born actors to make it big in Hollywood and who was best known for his role as Mr. Roarke on TV’s “Fantasy Island,” has died. He was 88.

Montalban died Wednesday morning at his Los Angeles home of complications related to old age, said his son-in-law, Gilbert Smith. (LATimes)

Montalban is probably best known for either his Mr. Roarke, his Khan from the Star Trek franchise, or those Cordova commercials from the 1970s.  In any case, his screen presence was undeniable and his voice was distinct.  He made the most of whatever role was given to him (even if it was typecasting).  Underrated but always appreciated, he’ll be missed.

******

Patrick McGoohan, the creator and star of the 1960s television series The Prisoner who later railed against consumerism, saying we were all prisoners heading towards an avalanche, has died at the age of 80.

His son-in-law, the producer Cleve Landsberg, said the man who gave the Sixties one of its most popular rallying calls – “I am not a number, I am a free man” – had suffered a short illness and died on Tuesday. (The Independent)

Always an excellent actor (even though he was very much a maverick), the US-born actor made a name for himself on that series.  I recommend the show to anyone who actually likes to think while watching television.  A show ahead of its time and controversial even now.

He also wrote the DC graphic series by the same name which was a sequel to the television show.

I leave you with this quote from McGoohan made in 1977 and still very relevant to this day:

“We’re run by the Pentagon. We’re run by Madison Avenue. We’re run by television. And, as long as we accept those things and don’t revolt, we’ll have to go along with the stream to the eventual avalanche.

“As long as we go out and buy stuff, we’re at their mercy. We’re at the mercy of the advertiser. And, of course, there are certain things we need, but a lot of the stuff that is bought is not needed. We all live in a little village. Your village may be different from other people’s villages, but we are all prisoners.”

Death got the last laugh…
Well, the big news right now is Heath Ledger was found dead today.  I’ll skip the usual smack for the news:

Actor Heath Ledger was found dead at a Manhattan apartment Tuesday afternoon in what appeared to be a possible drug-related death; he was 28. The actor was discovered in one of the SoHo apartment’s bedrooms at 3:31 p.m., when a masseuse arrived for a scheduled appointment and the residence’s housekeeper went to inform the actor of the masseuse’s arrival. He was found unconscious and unresponsive; the New York Times stated that the apartment in question belonged to actress Mary-Kate Olsen, who was not present and was believed to be out of state. An initial police report also cited by the New York Times said that foul play was not suspected and that pills had been found near Ledger’s body.

Engaged at one time to Brokeback co-star Michelle Williams, the two had a daughter but had split in recent months. Earlier this year, Ledger wrapped filming on the Batman film The Dark Knight, in which he played The Joker; the film is currently set for release this summer. Further details of the actor’s death were not available at press time. (IMDB)

First of all, everyone here at ChaozCentral passes its deepest condolences to Ledger’s family and loved ones.

THAT SAID… 

It does make me wonder about the fate of “The Dark Knight” movie.  Main reason is that if Heath’s Joker dies in the flick (and I’m not sure he does; but I’m sure someone knows) there is every possibility that Warners will change the ending.  Also if that happens, it could very well push back the July release date.  Now, if he didn’t die in the flick (which would have made complete sense) then the film itself is okay.
However, on the flip side; you can almost SURELY expect a far more toned down ad campaign for “The Dark Knight” than originally intended.  That means most likely no more “Joker” appearances in previews, print ads, etc.  Odds are the viral campaign is has already been shut down by the top brass.

Warners typically has played conservatively with their properties and are not about to let the movie’s potential earnings slip away because one of the main actors “decided to off himself” (trust me, that is their thinking).

I am sure at this moment, their ad-men and gonna try to spin this just right.  See, the other thing is that Ledger had no other films in the can.  This was his last film.  It is very likely we’ll see PSA’s or some sort of charity gig taking place prior to “The Dark Knight”’s release in “memory” of Ledger.

The one thing that will definitely not happen is Warners shelving the film.  They have already dumped far too much cash into the advertising that is already out there to just shelve it now; to take it as a loss during this time of the Writer’s strike with projects getting shelved left and right?   No, not only would it be foolish for them; but downright ….

…uh, I’ll just stop right there.