Hot Momma Gossip

A lawsuit against well known photo agency Splash News and two of it’s employees should raise some eyebrows. The photo agency allegedly set up and then filmed the late Heath Ledger in a hotel room using cocaine.

The lawsuit, by an unnamed woman, filed Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court  alleges that two Splash News paparazzi lured Ledger up to her room at the Chateau Marmont Hotel on Jan. 29, 2006. It says the paps gave him cocaine and secretly filmed the actor, who also had some of his own cocaine.

The woman wants to remain aynonomus in the court documents for “fear of consequences and repercussions” of what would happen if the “public were made aware of her true identity,” but labels her as a People magazine freelance reporter covering a Screen Actors Guild Awards afterparty at the West Hollywood hotel.

“She doesn’t intend with this lawsuit to seek publicity,” Douglas L. Johnson, the woman’s lawyer, told The Associated Press on Friday. “If anything, she’s seeking damages for the invasion of her privacy.”

The lawsuit names Splash News, managing partner Gary Morgan, and paparazzo Eric Munn and Darren Banks. Another element of the lawsuit is that the woman who filed was said to “occasionally date one of the parties involved Darren Banks.” Her claims against them include fraud, negligence, trespassing, and intentional infliction of emotional distress, among others.

The woman is suing for unspecified damages and profits from the sale of the Ledger tape because she says the defendants took control of a hotel room she paid for, used the mini bar and filmed her without her permission. She also claims her reputation has been damaged as a result of being featured in the footage, which she wants destroyed.

The woman’s lawyer told the AP: “She was deceived and doesn’t feel too good about it. She tried to physically throw them out of the room.”

The woman, who the lawsuit says appears in the video with her face blurred, claims she forgot about the tape until “Entertainment Tonight” began advertising footage. After airing a preview of the video in January, “ET” and sister show “The Insider” decided against broadcasting the footage because of public outcry.

At that time, they said the video did not show Ledger using drugs. The lawsuit says Ledger found out he was being taped by Munn on the hotel room’s balcony and was very upset about it throughout the evening, but that the paparazzi calmed him down several times, supplied him with more cocaine and insisted the tape would be destroyed. A cocaine dealer arrived in the hotel room later in the evening, the lawsuit adds.

The video later surfaced internationally and online at the News of the World Online. In the video, Ledger said that he was “going to get serious (word bleeped) from my girlfriend” for being in the hotel room. The video also showed Ledger rolling cigarette paper and saying “I used to smoke five joints a day for 20 years.”

A People magazine rep. confirmed the woman was freelancing for the magazine at that time and they were aware of the alleged encounter with Ledger, but there were too many questions surrounding the circumstances for People to write about it. The representative said the woman is no longer associated with the magazine and has not been since last year.

Ledger’s representative had no comment about the lawsuit. Phone calls to Splash News were not immediately returned Friday.

Source

This is one of those family secrets that should have stayed as such. However some members of Heath Ledgers family allegedly believe the late actor may have fathered a secret love child, and have blabbed it to the press.

Australia’s Daily Telegraph reports that Heath had an affair with an older woman when he was just 17-years-old and in school with an older women of 25 at the time. The short liason perhaps resulted in a pregnancy,  but the women was living with another man at the time and they raised the child (a daughter) as their own, although there were suspicions about the child’s father.  Heath’s uncle, Haydn Ledger who was the only one to go on record by name, yesterday confirmed there was a “real possibility” his nephew had fathered a girl with the woman.
If Heath had another living child other than his daughter Matilda Rose with Michelle Williams, his estate would be split perhaps in half.

Why would Haydn Ledger bring this family secret to the press? Well, there is a big dispute about Heath’s estate which father Kim controls much to the dismay of his brothers, Hadyn, Mike and Wayne. Kim who was once the executor of their grandfather’s (Sir Frank Ledger) will 20 years ago, borrowed heavily against the $2 million estate, and eventually left it heavily in debt, before he was removed as executor by the Western Australia Supreme Court in 1994. 
 Heath’s parents Kim Ledger and Sally Bell yesterday refused to comment on the latest scandal.

Here is the new trailer for Batman: The Dark Knight, out next summer. It includes some of the first looks at the late Heath Ledger in his debut as the Joker and Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel Dawes 2.0, after Katie Holmes did not reprise her role. Returning are Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Gary Oldman. I highly recommend you watch this trailer and get a glimpse at the powerful performance Heath Ledger recorded.

Unlike 1989’s “Batman,” in which the deranged, disfigured clown appearance of Jack Nicholson’s Joker resulted from a dip in chemical goo, “The Dark Knight” starts right in with the bad guy in all his psychopathic glory.

Ledger’s depraved Joker cryptically tells an accomplice in the opening scenes, in which he pulls off a daring bank robbery:
“I believe whatever doesn’t kill you simply makes you stranger,”

Director Christopher Nolan said it was almost inevitable that the sequel would pit Christian Bale’s Batman against the Joker.

“The psychopathic clown, that’s an icon to stand with the guy with the ears and cape,” Nolan said. “It’s just a wonderful visual relationship, and it’s a terrifying image.”

Long before Ledger’s death of an accidental prescription drug overdose in January, the marketing of the movie had focused on the villain’s rise to power and his creepy appearance.

There had been speculation among critics and fans that the studio and filmmakers might take a different approach to selling the film in light of Ledger’s death, but the marketing has gone on as originally planned.

“I think he’d be very pleased to see we’re just moving ahead as is,” Nolan said. “If you try to honor somebody, you honor them by respecting their work and putting it out there for as many people to see. He was immensely proud of the work he did on the film. I feel a great burden to present that in an undistorted form.”

“The Dark Knight” is due in theaters July 18.

The last time producer Charles Roven saw Ledger was when he showed the actor the very footage that was screened at ShoWest.

Fans have been buzzing over the anarchic style Ledger brings to the role in the movie’s trailer, but the actor himself was utterly taken by what he saw of himself on screen, Roven said.

“He was just blown away by his own performance,” Roven said. “He said, `Can I see it again?’ So he was really, really thrilled.”

Christian Bale reprising his role as the wealthy Bruce Wayne, who moonlights as the emotionally tormented crimefighter _ said he watched the footage Thursday with a heaviness of heart over Ledger. But Bale said he hopes the movie will serve as a testament.

“I hope that this can be seen as a celebration of his work,” Bale said. “He did a phenomenal job. It was a real joy working with the man. It was a joy knowing him, as well. I liked him a great deal, and I liked also how seriously he took his work.”

Click play icon twice to start the video

Source

The late Heath Ledger drew up a three page will in April 2003 in Australia, before his Oscar-nominated role in Broke Back Mountain. At that time, Heath left all his wordly goods to his parents and sisters. This was before his relationship with actress Michelle Williams, mother of his daughter Matilda whom he met on the set of “Brokeback” . Documents filed in Manhattan court state that he had less than $145,000 in assets at the time, including a $25,000 Toyota Prius and $20,000 in furniture and fixtures. Obviously before he made it big.

Ledger’s life came to an end tragically after an accidental overdose at the beginning of the year.  No word on whether the actor made any arrangements for Michelle and Matilda. From the records there are no hint of the real size of his wealth, which would include the fancy Brooklyn townhouse he and Williams shared, and any property in Australia or cash stuffed in trust funds.

“If they had jointly held assets, those are not subject to probate,” said Karin Barkhorn, an estates specialist at Bryan Cave. “There’s no sleight of hand, it’s just not required.”

Barkhorn also pointed out that celebrities often put most of their money in trusts, which are not subject to public proceedings in Surrogate’s Court.  It’s a lesson to all of us to make a will and keep it up to date.

Update: Heath Ledger’s family responded quickly Saturday quicky to these reports that their late son had not updated his will since his relationship with Michelle Williams and the 2005 birth of their daughter Matilda Rose. They said in a statement:

“Matilda is our absolute priority and Michelle is an integral part of our family,” Heath’s father Kim Ledger says in a statement. “They will be taken care of and that’s how Heath would want it to be.”

So I guess, no worries mate!

Source

Federal drug authorities are investigating two doctors over the death of actor Heath Ledger, according to the Daily News. The doctors  one practicing in California, the other in Texas are believed to have supplied the late actor with the powerful painkillers Oxycontin,and Vicodin.  At issue is whether or not the powerful painkiller were prescribed legally. The revelation came more than a month after the 28-year-old Australian acror’s naked body was found in his SoHo loft. However, immediately following the actor’s death, DEA reportedly subpoenaed several documents from the NYPD and the Medical Examiner to try to determine exactly where Ledger got his cocktail of prescriptions that eventually caused his death.  A law enforcement source said: ”It’s an ongoing investigation,” . “It’s not clear if there was any wrongdoing.”

Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell will each take turns becoming multiple incarnations of Heath’s character transformed, in the “magical” world of “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus”, according to AintItCoolNews.com.

Ledger was shooting The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus in London just days before he was found dead in his New York apartment last month.

Director Terry Gilliam was determined to salvage the unfinished movie and has asked Depp, Law and Farrell to pay tribute to Ledger by taking turns to play his character in the scenes the Australian never got to shoot. There is no word as to when the film will resume production.

On a side note. Heath ledger’s last film character The Joker, from this summer’s Batman movie has been unveiled just a week after his funeral.

Ledger’s grieving family have backed the release of the Mattel action figure to go with the upcoming movie ‘The Dark Knight.’

Two versions of the Ledger imaged Joker doll will hit toy stores in May.

Memorial Service

About 400 mourners gathered in Perth, Australia, today for actor Heath Ledger’s memorial service.

The West Australian newspaper reports that the mourners included Cate Blanchett, Thorn Birds star Bryan Brown, model Gemma Ward (who was most recently linked to Heath), and Heath’s ex-fiancee, Michelle Williams, dressed in a black-and-white dress, who walked into the chapel of Penhros College clutching the hand of Heath’s older sister, Kate. Heath and Michelle’s 2-year-old daughter, Matilda, was not seen at the memorial service, which began at about 1 p.m. local time with the playing of a traditional Aboriginal mourning song on the didgeridoo.

Attendees of the two-hour tribute received a memorial program featuring a photograph of Ledger. At the start of the ceremony, a select group of songs were played, including “These Days” by Australian band Powderfinger; “Wish You Were Here” by Pink Floyd; “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder; “The Times They Are A-Changin’” by Bob Dylan, “Seven Nation Army” by the White Stripes, and a song by The Shins.

One of the first speakers was sister Kate Ledger, who addressed the attendants with a montage set to the tune of the Beatles’ “Here Comes The Sun” playing in the background.
The service also included video montages, and one, featuring Matilda, included “very moving little bits,” Scott said. The Matilda video presentation was accompanied by musician Ben Harper’s “Happily Everafter In Your Eyes,” which Harper had written just for her. (Harper and Ledger had teamed up last year to start their own record label called Masses Music Co.)

Afterward, footage from Ledger’s film work was shown. Oscar winner Blanchett spoke to the audience afterward; Scott said Blanchett was “wonderful.”

A friend montage followed with its soundtrack being “1979” (the year Ledger was born) by the Smashing Pumpkins. A family montage was set to “Old Man” by Neil Young. Of these montages, Scott said, “they were very tastefully done,” adding of the overall tone of the service, “It was a wonderful memorial. Typically so soon after the sudden death of a young person, there were many people who were very emotionally moved as you’d expect.”

The private funeral

A private funeral was held today with 10 members of Heath’s immediate family.  Heath Ledger’s remains were cremated Saturday afternoon, local time.

Must…Have…More!

Heath Ledger died of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs, the New York City medical examiner’s office has ruled. The cause of death was “acute intoxication by the combined effects of precription medications including painkillers, anti-anxiety drugs and sleeping pills, lead to the overdose. The office issued this statement:

“Mr. Heath Ledger died as the result of acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam, and doxylamine. We have concluded that the manner of death is accident, resulting from the abuse of prescription medications.”

It wasn’t revealed what concentrations of each drug were found in Ledger’s blood, or whether one drug played a greater part than another in causing his death.

Heath’s private funeral is expected to take place in Perth, Australia this Saturday.

Source