So there are a few downsides to being a pop culture fanatic...and the biggest one is that it creates a false feeling of a relationship with the members of the pop culture community. I am not so crazy that I actually believe that I have any real connection with celebrities...but on the other hand...their presence is often more reliable than people in real life. The characters they play are always available to make you laugh or cry. They can bring you a brief sense of happiness that is sometimes hard to come by. (Surprise Texting/emails aside of course, which never fail to make me smile.) My point is that when you are borderline obsessed with pop culture like I am...it makes it all the more difficult to hear when someone from the crowd passes away.
I was bummed when I heard about Brad Renfro...but boy does this one hurt. Not to knock Brad Renfro...as I was crushing hard on him after his portrayal of Michael in Sleepers. But he pretty much disappeared and therefore victim of out of sight...out of mind.
Heath Ledger was has always been one of my favorites. Even his bad movies weren't really that bad. Oh how I crushed on him after seeing him in 10 Things I Hate About You. He was awesome in The Patriot. (Not to be confused with the Patriots who suck. More on them and their evil rise to power tomorrow.) A Knights Tale was okay but still not bad. I didn't actually see Lords of Dogtown but at some point I might as I heard it was pretty good. I don't really remember him from Monster's Ball but that isn't his fault...as I tried to block out most of that movie. He was excellent in The Order, which is saying something considering that the movie itself was pretty lousy. And of course we all know that he was damn near perfect in Casanova and Brokeback Mountain.
My only real point of tonight's posting is to say that it is truly sad that Heath has passed away at such a young age. I wanted to say this before the official COD is released because I don't want think about that...as any actor will tell you that they want to be remember for their craft and not their death. His death is tragic for a number of reasons....and he will be missed.
3 comments:
It's weird, because I never care too much about celebrities. But this was a sad shock, perhaps because of his youth but also because I think he was just starting to explode as an actor who couldn't be typecast but who would own whatever role he took. Like Christian Bale.
This was unexpected. The funny thing was that when I heard about it, I knew you would cry over him. Its not geeky, it is you. You cry for anyone who is suffering.
You're right Chance...he followed his head and heart and that is why he was awesome.
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