Belgian Daycare Attack Suspect Linked to 2nd Killing

De Gelder had history of depression; cops rule out Ledger tie

(NEWSER) - Belgian murder suspect Kim De Gelder has admitted guilt in the slaying of two infants and a daycare worker, the Telegraph reports. “He understands that he did something inhuman. I think that he feels regrets,” the 20-year-old’s lawyer said. “But it would be going too far to say that he repents.” He pointed to a history of depression as a possible factor. More»

(NEWSER) - Posters of President Obama in Heath Ledger-like Joker makeup from The Dark Knight with a caption reading “Socialism” have sprung up in Los Angeles and Atlanta, the Daily Contributor reports. Similar posters online have the caption “why so socialist?” The guerilla art attacks, not yet claimed by any group, seem to be a reaction to Obama’s plan to reform the health-care system. More»

(AP) - If Heath Ledger is named best supporting actor at Sunday's Academy Awards ceremony, his 3-year-old daughter will become the owner of the statuette. But it won't really belong to Matilda Rose Ledger until her 18th birthday, in 2023—and even then, only if she signs a contract. Ledger's nomination, and his daughter's age, led to one of the trickiest situations the academy has dealt with in its eight decades of awarding posthumous Oscars. More»

Fans want studio to hang up clown suit as tribute to killer performance

(NEWSER) - A group of Heath Ledger fans are calling for the Batman movies to hang up the Joker's purple suit for good as a tribute to the late actor's last role, CNN reports. Supporters at website "The Ultimate Joker" say no actor could ever nail the killer clown as well as Ledger did, and are aiming to get 50,000 people to sign their petition. More»

Movies and viewers love to get miserable

(NEWSER) - Bleak is the new chic in Tinseltown, writes Dan Zak in the Washington Post. Cloverfield's crowd-trampling monster, the psycho serial killer of No Country for Old Men, and the twisted oil entrepreneur of There Will Be Blood (need we mention the Dark Knight?) highlight the "raw misery of the human condition," sniffs Zak. "Big movies have tent-poled 2008 with a tarp of cruelty." More»