'Oh, you guys can't breathe in outerspace?'

"Dark Knight" ads are popping up all over the place now that the movie is out on DVD and word just came out that Heath Ledger has been posthumously nominated for a Golden Globe. (Ledger, who played the Joker, will vie for the title of best supporting actor Tom Cruise, Robert Downey Jr., Ralph Fiennes and Philip Seymour Hoffman.)

All this Batman talk got me thinking about how awesome Dark Knight is and reminded me of a funny College Humor short I saw a few months back. I'm a Batman fan all the way (much more realistic, relative to other super heroes), but this made me laugh.




RELATED LINKS
Riddled with rumors
Dark curse?
Nothing in his pockets but knives and lint...and a Chupa Chup
Coasting by
"WHY SO SERIOUS?"
Update: Heath Ledger death an accident
Update: Heath Ledger's death
BREAKING NEWS: Actor Heath Ledger found dead

BOO!

Happy Halloween from The Jerc Store!

So, what are we gonna see more of this year: Political figures (most notably Sarah Palin) or Heath Ledger's The Joker? Maybe it'll be the rebirth of Britney Spears. What am I being? That's a secret ;)

I haven't been this excited about Halloween in awhile, so bring on the trick-or-treaters and crappy candy corn - it's Halloween weekend!

[and Happy Birthday, Rachie!]

Riddled with rumors

Just in time for 'The Dark Knight' buzz to die down, rumors about the next installment's villains are starting to look a little more substantiated.

In an interview with MTV News, Michael Caine (Alfred in the movies) seemingly confirmed Johnny Depp as The Riddler and Philip Seymour Hoffman as The Penguin.

"I was with [a Warner Bros.] executive and I said, 'Are we going to make another one?' and They said, 'Yeah.' I said, 'How the hell are we going to top Heath?' And he says, 'I'll tell you how you top Heath -- Johnny Depp as The Riddler and Philip Seymour Hoffman as The Penguin.' I said, 'S--t, they've done it again!" - Michael Caine.

Now, I'm pretty sure Nolan hasn't officially signed on for the project and Christian Bale has already said he won't do a third movie without him... so something tells me not to get too pumped about the next Batman flick just yet.

[UPDATE] Apparently the rumors are just that: Debunked! Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman told MTV that he's not going to play Oswald Cobblepot. "No one has talked to me about it ever -- never," Hoffman said. "It happened, like, five years ago, too. It was a rumor back then and it's still a rumor. [laughs] It's just in the press. It's funny. I think I'm more interested in seeing someone else do it. I don't know if I'd be a good Penguin to be quite honest." From comicbookresources.com (thanks, Geoff!)

Hoffman is uber versatile, so he'd probably be a good choice. I'm pretty excited to see some freaky ass penguins, too. But Johnny Depp in makeup acting looney? That's not challenging at all. Been there, done that. There's no way he's going to top Heath. My vote's for Leo!

'Dark' curse?

By now, you may have heard about Morgan Freeman's car accident that put him in the hospital last night.

CNN.com is reporting that Freeman, 71, was in serious condition but appears to be "in good spirits" after suffering a broken left upper arm, several other fractures and neck and shoulder injuries in the wreck.

Freeman, who could have surgery as early as Monday, was enjoying the recent success of the latest installment in the Batman series. This got me thinking...

*Does anyone else see a somewhat ominous trend falling over the stars of "The Dark Knight"?

Similar to Poltergeist, perhaps this big blockbuster is carrying some sort of curse.

We've seen the death of star Heath Ledger ala painkillers and sleeping pills shortly after the movie wrapped. (Sources say his role as the Joker was causing insomnia.) Then, Christian Bale has assault charges filed against him by his mother and sister days after the movie's premiere. Now, Morgan Freeman's car flips off the road and he lands in the hospital as the movie continues smashing all sorts of records?

RELATED LINKS
Nothing in his pockets but knives and lint...and a Chupa Chup
Coasting by
"WHY SO SERIOUS?"
Update: Heath Ledger death an accident
Update: Heath Ledger's death
BREAKING NEWS: Actor Heath Ledger found dead

Nothing in his pockets but knives and lint...and a Chupa Chup

If you haven't seen The Dark Knight yet, seriously... what the hell are you waiting for? If you're not planning on seeing it, that's one thing. But if you're just being lazy, you're being inconsiderate because everyone around you is biting their tongues not to ruin the movie by unwittingly discussing this, this or this. [DO NOT CLICK THERE IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE MOVIE!]

If I had kids, I would never take them to see this movie because it was scary as hell. But if I had kids, I would probably make them do the same thing these guys did.

Check out this "mini-interpretation" of The Dark Knight, in trailer form. [No spoilers, no worry!]

The Dark Knight - Kids Edition! (wizarduniverse.com) @ Yahoo! Video

"WHY SO SERIOUS?"

It's 3:30 a.m. and I have work tomorrow...But I just got back from the midnight showing of "The Dark Knight" at the IMAX in Philadelphia, and I am seriously reeling.

I will not write about this movie, analyze it on this blog or post any spoilers. I just have four words for you:

GO SEE IT. NOW.

The end.

Update: Heath Ledger death an accident

Heath Ledger died from an accidental overdose of a number of prescription and over-the-counter drugs found at his apartment, officials said Wednesday.

"Mr. Heath Ledger died as the result of acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam, and doxylamine," the New York City medical examiner's office said in a short statement.

Those drugs in all are painkillers, anti-anxiety pills, sleep aids and antihistamine.

RELATED LINKS:
Update: Heath Ledger's death
BREAKING NEWS: Actor Heath Ledger found dead

Update: Heath Ledger's death

From The New York Post's Page Six:

January 31, 2008 -- HEATH Ledger had become a regular user of cocaine and heroin in the past year, getting so high on drugs that an exasperated Michelle Williams was forced to boot him out of their Brooklyn home, The Post has learned.

"She couldn't take it any more. Heath wouldn't show up for two to three days, and all of a sudden he would show up on her doorstep, an absolute wreck," a member of Ledger's entourage who did drugs with him told The Post's Lorena Mongelli. "He was partying, doing drugs. She didn't like the company he was keeping. She gave him an ultimatum. . . . and threatened to get custody of the girl. He wanted to make it work, but it was this scene he was wrapped up in. Was he an addict? Yeah."

The revelation comes as "Entertainment Tonight" and "The Insider" said that "out of respect for Heath Ledger's family," they would drop plans to air a video of Ledger snorting cocaine with a rolled-up bill at the Chateau Marmont. The video was taped without Ledger's knowledge following the SAG Awards two years ago. PageSix.com reports that Ledger quips on the tape, "I'm gonna get so much [bleep] from my girlfriend. We have a baby together, Matilda."

Heath's drug pal told The Post the 28-year-old star's mushrooming fame had him constantly exposed to drugs. As the pressures of work grew, he couldn't say no, and then wouldn't get help. "He was hanging out with a bad crowd. He wasn't cleaning up his act. He was making absolutely no effort . . . He was really into heroin. He wasn't sleeping or communicating with anyone."

Page Six usually has the hook-up, but I don't want to validate any rumors. I'm just passing along information that could eventually turn up something significant.

BREAKING NEWS: Actor Heath Ledger found dead

Updating a post from earlier today:

Heath Ledger, 28, was found dead today in a New York apartment he'd been renting (not Mary Kate Olson's apartment as previously reported by the New York Times).

A masseuse with whom Ledger had an appointment arrived at the apartment and was let in by a housekeeper. When no one answered the door of the actor's room, the housekeeper and the masseuse opened the bedroom and found Ledger naked and unconscious on a bed, with pills scattered around his body.

Police said they did not suspect foul play, and earlier reports of suicide have been denied by family and friends claiming that the "Brokeback Mountain" star was suffering from pneumonia.

Police discovered presciption medication around the apartment and the pills around Ledger's body were sleeping pills. In reading a previous New York Times article, the insomnia factor is a little eery:

"'Last week I probably slept an average of two hours a night,' he said. 'I couldn’t stop thinking. My body was exhausted, and my mind was still going.' One night he took an Ambien, which failed to work. He took a second one and fell into a stupor, only to wake up an hour later, his mind still racing." - New York Times, Nov. 4, 2007

An autopsy is scheduled for tomorrow. More updates as information becomes available.