EXIT LINES

That's Heath Ledger there, proving all jokes are indeed not funny.

David Denby has written a moving review in the new New Yorker (despite the tasteless cover!!) about Heath in the new Batman movie, The Dark Knight:

"Christian Bale. . .is upstaged by the great Ledger, who shambles and slides into a room, bending his knees and twisting his neck and suddenly surging into someone’s face like a deep-sea creature coming up for air. Ledger has a fright wig of ragged hair; thick, running gobs of white makeup; scarlet lips; and dark-shadowed eyes. He’s part freaky clown, part Alice Cooper the morning after, and all actor. He’s mesmerizing in every scene. . .At times, I was reminded of Marlon Brando at his most feline and insinuating. When Ledger wields a knife, he is thoroughly terrifying (do not, despite the PG-13 rating, bring the children), and, as you’re watching him, you can’t help wondering—in a response that admittedly lies outside film criticism—how badly he messed himself up in order to play the role this way. His performance is a heroic, unsettling final act: this young actor looked into the abyss."

Gosh. This is sad. I'm hardly moved by anything anymore, being a freaky clown shut-in myself, but Heath! We only had a taste. This is Kurt Cobain-kind of sad. I'm so attracted to his seeming craziness and pain. I never knew how much I loved him till he was dead. True of most things actually.

photo courtesy: Reuters

WE LOVE TO FEEL COCKY ALL DAY LONG

They say black don't crack, but Jesus, Jada looks like she's going to break right up. That's one ropey bitch. Looks like beef jerky.

So, Fox News gave "Hancock" a crappy review, and the blogs seem to be falling over each other to foretell Willy's first July 4th trip-up. But has anyone read the review? You can judge the reviewer's taste for yourself, in that he loved "Independence Day" and "Men in Black." The main criticism-- it's not "family" enough. Imagine, a child says the word "asshole"! Willy doesn't play his normal, smarmy, cocky, robotic, perfect-candidate-for-Scientology-based self, but a drunk who may-or-may-not get involved in adultery! Why, it's perfectly un-American!

Not that anyone cares, but David Denby gives "Handcock" a fantastic review in this week's New Yorker. Most interesting for this Willy Smith-hater-- yes, even before he was associated with the dreaded E-meter-- is the description of Smith's performance:

For the first time in his life, Will Smith doesn't flirt with the audience. He doesn't smile and tease and drawl; he stays in character as a self-hating lonely guy.

Ooh, a Willy-pic where he doesn't show us that shit-eating smile? I'm SO there. I hope it's a big bomb, and everyone slags it like they do Amy Winehouse doing anything. We're very Devil's Advocate (a Charlize reference) at Peep_Hole-- we still want to buy that Scarlett Johansson album, hoping we'll love it!

Photo: AP