Giving Heath Ledger Credit
The Dark Knight doesn’t forget.
Heath Ledger and a special-effects technician, who both died before the superhero movie’s release, will be remembered with a joint, onscreen dedication.
The four-line tribute, “In memory of our friends HEATH LEDGER & CONWAY WICKLIFFE,” will appear in the end credits, right after the main filmmakers’ scroll, per the production credits on Warner Bros. publicity site.
The Dark Knight, the Batman Begins sequel featuring Ledger as the unhinged Joker to Christian Bale’s tightly wound Batman, opens July 18.
Ledger died Jan. 22 of an accidental prescription-drug overdose at the age of 28. Despite his death, he has been featured prominently in The Dark Knight’s ad campaignhis Joker being an impossibly big presence to ignore.
In the production notes, he is afforded a modest, three-paragraph biography, not unlike that of Bale. There is no reference to his death, which occurred after filming had completed.
Wickliffe died Sept. 25 in England in a one-car crash during a test run for a stunt. He was 41. At a memorial last year in his native New Zealand, the New Zealand Herald reported, fellow special-effects technician Nick Bonathan said that finishing The Dark Knight was going to be tough, “but we have to do it for him now.”
“Hopefully,” Bonathan said, per the paper, “it will be dedicated to him.”
Other tidbits from the press notes:
- Bale’s Bruce Wayne “tailored wardrobe” was “handmade” by Giorgio Armani; his Wayne car was provided by Lamborghini.
- The film’s first six minutes were shot with IMAX cameras. In all, six sequences were shot in the biggest-screen formatthe first time, Warners said, any major Hollywood feature has used IMAX cameras for any footage.
- The film is rated PG-13 for “intense sequences of violence and some menace,” which actually sounds like a downgrade from Batman Begins’ PG-13 for “intense action violence, disturbing images and some thematic elements.”
Cate Blanchett Helps Georgio Armani
Cate Blanchett Helps Georgio Armani
She just announced that she’s four-months pregnant, but Cate Blanchett continued to get a full day’s work in as she most recently ventured to Japan.
The Babel actress was in Tokyo for a ceremony to open the new Giorgio Armani flagship store on Tuesday (November 6).
The trip to Japan comes just after a visit to Australia to promote her latest film, Elizabeth: Golden Age.
At a press conference for the movie, Cate voiced her concerns over today’s youth and their knowledge for true history.
Cate said, “It’s terrifying that we are growing up with this very illiterate bunch of children, who are somehow being taught that film is fact, when in fact it’s invention. Hopefully though an historical film will inspire people to go and read about the history. But in the end it is a work of history and selection.”
Beyonce Promotes Perfume in Italy
Beyonce Promotes Perfume in Italy
You know you’ve “made it” when Giorgio Armani calls you up and flies you out to Italy to promote his latest fragrance. And Beyonce Knowles has most definitely “made it.”
The “Bootylicious” singer was busy hamming it up yesterday at the Rinascente Store in Milan, Italy. And according to a recent report, she’s about to get even busier.
Due to the overwhelming success of the Spice Girls’ reunion festivities, Beyonce is reportedly considering a Destiny’s Child reunion. And she’s not the only one.
Former band mate Kelly Rowland is also thinking that it may be time to get the girls back together. She told press, “This current spate of reunions has given us ideas. Despite what people say we are all still really close.”
And apparently, Knowles already staged a quick mini-reunion at a recent show. Rowland reported, “A couple of weeks ago Beyonce did a show in Los Angeles and asked me and Michelle (Williams) to join her on stage for Survivor. It was a real tear-jerker. The fans were crying and going nuts. I’d definitely like us to do more stuff like that.”
Hilary Swank’s Swanky Armani Gig
Hilary Swank’s Swanky Armani Gig
While tons of celebrities are flocking to Park City, Utah for the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, Hilary Swank has opted for something a little more high fashion.
The “Million Dollar Baby” babe was spotted at the Giorgio Armani Prive Spring/Summer 2008 Haute Couture Collection Show yesterday in Paris, France.
She was wearing a fabulous black evening gown as she embraced the Italian designer. Hilary was also spotted earlier in the day attending an event at the Palais de Chaillot.
While her current film “P.S. I Love You” is proving to be a big hit, Swank is also looking forward to the release of “Birds of America,” later in 2008, in which she co-stars with Matthew Perry.