Photo-illustration: Courtesy of AMPAS, Warner Bros.
Heath Ledger Posthumous Oscar Watch: Terry Gilliam Cries Foul
Think it’s a little bit unseemly that the media (like us!) can’t stop talking about a possible posthumous Oscar nomination for Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight? Do you think the idea of Warner Bros. running a campaign for the actor is a cynical publicity stunt? So does Terry Gilliam. The director of Ledger’s potential last film, The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, complains to London’s Telegraph about the campaign. “They’ll do anything to publicize their film,†Gilliam says of Warner Bros. “That’s just what they do and you can’t get upset because it’s bullshit. They’re like a great white shark which devours whatever it can.â€
Though it’s unclear that an actual campaign is under way — thus far it’s mostly been bloggers and Ledger’s co-stars touting the performance — it seems certain that, come Oscar season, there will be. And so Vulture’s inaugurating our Heath Ledger Posthumous Oscar Watch, in which we’ll track the likely campaign from its quiet, respectful beginnings to its eventual callous, ridiculous end. We’re sure that by the time Warners sends out Academy screeners of every Joker scene scored to “Candle in the Wind†the campaign will become as totally tacky as our exciting new logo.
Kapow! Terry Gilliam attacks Heath Ledger Oscar campaign [Telegraph]