So, Heath Ledger died. The news came to me via text message: "RIP Heath Ledger!" My first assumption was, "He must have signed on for some really awful movie, like Snakes on a Plane 2: Oh No They Didn't, and that text message means 'RIP his career.'" Obviously, right? But later, another text: "How could Ledge be deceased when Bonaduce is roaming around town with steroids for blood?" Holy shit. It's true. (Also, good point.)
Then there was the tabloid frenzyâthe photos of his body being wheeled out of the apartmentâand the wild speculation, and the misdirected gay bashing ("Well, he found out how to quit you!").
The whole thing was so jarringâand surprisingly heartbreakingâbecause, not only was Ledger not on anyone's list of celebrities-we-expect-to-die-young (Winehouse!), he was barely even in the public consciousness for anything outside his career. Barring the occasional "Stars: They're Just Like Us!" item (they wear floppy hats while pushing strollers around Brooklyn!), we didn't gossip about him, we didn't obsess over him, we didn't rip him to shreds in the press. He was nothing to us but a really, really great actor.
The next day, while talking with an acquaintance, I mentioned my original "career suicide" hypothesis. She smiled and did one of those fake coughs (by the way, that joke is more deceased than Ledger) that sounded like "BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN!"
Now, perhaps my acquaintance, who is very sweet, has some sincere stylistic criticisms of Brokeback Mountain. But for the rest of you Brokeback Mountain jokers past, present, and future... REALLY? Have any of you ever SEEN Brokeback Mountain? Are you telling me that you watched it and didn't have your heart shattered into several hundred jagged pieces, because all you could think about was "Eew"? Or maybe it caused you to feel some actual human compassion for some gross gay dudes, and that freaked you out because you thought maybe it made YOU a little bit gay, and maybe the next obligatory step involved six pomegranate razzle-tinis and your butt?
As a lady who spends most of her time watching bad actors in bad movies, good actors acting badly in bad movies, and nonactors acting desperate on reality TV, it's such a relief and a revelation when an actor is good at his job. Heath Ledger was stunning in Brokeback Mountain. In 10 Things I Hate About You he made us fall in love with him despite the world's most terrible hair, and even A Knight's Tale was totally good. By all accounts, this was a wonderful guy with a lot of potential and a little baby girl, and now he and his beautiful face are dead. And that's sad. 
