Of Heath and Higher Echelons

I'm not sure why Heath Ledger's death affected me quite particularly. I mean, many would just dismiss it as another death of yet another movie star, bla bla bla.. you get the drill. Not to mention he is one of favourite actors of all-time, a man-crush would seem rather pushing it.

It Would Be Soon Before Long
But it is more than that. If you know someone close enough, there is something about his passing which would seem difficult - comprehending the idea that you would never see the person again. While the late Heath is the issue, Death in general is what I'm talking about. I mean loving Heath Ledger as an actor, naming him the Second Hottest Male, and then suddenly you will never get to see him again. A tad too soon?

Idolised Charm
Honestly if it was Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt or the likes, i really could not be bothered, they died, fine. But my Heath Ledger? I mean i would love to be him. His voice, his demeanour, the way he act, the look in his eyes, his smile. In other words, his charm. His charm which i very much emulate. He is my idol. So for those who had been taken in by my supposed charm at some point or another, you know who to thank. And sadly he is no longer among the living.

A Hero Within
The thing about Heath Ledger is that he is not altogether that perfect. An article i read described him as "not-so-handsome". Certainly he is not that tall either, and does not have the vavavoom traits of Hollywood giants like the muscled Brad Pitt. But i feel there lies his greatest strength. Someone who is all too ordinary, seemingly mundane but undeniably charming.

Never Be Replaced
I think i may still be in a state of shock over his untimely death. Having loved his portrayal in The Patriot, The Four Feathers and Casanova, and eagerly awaiting his reinterpretation of The Joker, i cant seem to want to accept the fact that beyond that, i'll never see him acting again. I am so proud of declaring him my favourite actor, when many would find that a weird choice. And honestly speaking, even though they placed Hollywood's big names Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell to continue his role in his unfinished last fantasy film The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (directed by Terry Gilliam, who also directed Brothers Grimm, where Heath was one of its titular character), it is an honour yes to have 3 biggies replace Heath, but nonetheless not the same. Heath's choice of daring and unconventional roles makes him a critic's favourite. His performance as the new Joker already gave him rave reviews, and how respected an actor it would have made him, but now we will never know.

The Keongomaniac and the Ledger Quest
I'm in a quest of getting all the dvds of the movie he had acted in, well knowing full well that he would never starr in any more films. I already had The Patriot DVD and Casanova VCD, but i bought Casanova and Brothers Grimm DVDs a day after he died. Recently i got the seemingly impossble-to-get The Four Feathers DVD, and soon, A Knight's Tale. Right now i'm still in search of his first movie the teenage flick 10 Things I Hate About You. Tell me if you know where i can get it!

The Incredibly Rare Joker Poster
In addition to that, last week i wanted to also find posters of him, being the poster-collector that i am. And that's how i end up getting the incredibly rare and valuable Original Movie poster shown in the picture above. Believe it or not, it is worth $80 now, and is only available through advance order. This is due to the fact that upon Heath Ledger's death, Warner Bros apparently recalled The Dark Knight teaser poster featuring The Joker. The Batman Begins' sequel initial marketing strategy is centered on The Joker. But given Heath's death, Warner Bros put a halt to that, out of respect for his recent passing. I was actually waiting for the theatrical poster for The Dark Knight, hoping for a clearer and nicer depiction of Heath as The Joker, but the likelihood of this is apparently pretty slim, for Warner Bros did not wish to bank on Heath's death to make a profit. This is quite sad though, because of course people would have bought it. So overnight, the teaser poster of The Joker above becomes valuable, jumped from $40 to double its price. I am a proud owner of such a rare piece.

Coming of Age and Comprehending Death
On the major theme of death, last year saw the passing of two of my close uncles. I'm closer to the late Ayah of course, whose eulogy i wrote in an entry last year. Similarly, i would never be able to see them again. An irreversible but an inevitable fact of life. It would of course be a mistake to think that accepting death is part of growing up. For death can occur anytime, and a death of a loved one can even take place, although cruelly, to someone of a very young age. Many often wondered about their own death, but i would say a death of someone close to you is a more tricky situation to be in. How do you grasp such an idea, how incomprehensible is it for you not to see someone again, like forever? Perhaps there's something about coming of age that makes me think of all these things, but maybe particularly because befittingly it all take place at this stage of my life.

The Board of Commission for the Keongomania Awards is proud to present the late Heath Ledger with the Keongomaniac Lifetime Achievement Award, which bestows him the honour of the Sword and Shield of High King Peter of Narnia, the highest Keongomaniac Recognition in Haz Wayne's World.