Ledger Fans Demand Joker's 'Retirement'

Newest Batman hits milestone in 10 days

(NEWSER) - Latest Batman flick The Dark Knight grossed $300 million in just 10 days—turning the 16 days Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest took on its head to set a new record. The dark tale, driven by Heath Ledger's strong performance, took in another $75.6 million in its second weekend to push its total upwards of $314 million. More»

Heath Ledger's final performance burns in the dark

(NEWSER) - Dark Knight swoops into cinemas tomorrow and critics say the hype is more than justified. "This is not merely a Batman movie," Amy Biancolli writes in the Houston Chronicle. It is one of the year's best films "and far and away the most hypnotic chiller." The bleak Gotham tale is "audacious and unnerving while consistently being fun and entertaining," writes Claudia Puig in USA Today. More»

Ledger's death forces Warner Bros. to reconsider viral campaign

(NEWSER) - Heath Ledger’s untimely death is a major problem for Batman—or, more accurately, his marketing people. Warner Bros. has built an entire advertising campaign for the upcoming Dark Knight installment around Ledger’s Joker performance, a tactic that’s now fairly awkward, the Wall Street Journal reports. Fans have spent months deciphering clues to find pictures of the creepy, makeup-caked visage of the now-dead actor. 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»