KEY POINTS:
The internet has gone into meltdown following Heath Ledger's untimely death.
And while for the most part the news coverage has been restrained and sympathetic, there are, sadly, a few exceptions.
Take this idiot, for example.
Fox News host John Gibson made some alarmingly homophobic and distasteful comments mocking Heath Ledger's death on live radio yesterday.
The host appeared to revel in the sad news of Ledger's death, and took the word a-hole to a whole new level.
Opening his radio show with funeral music, Gibson callously mocked the actor's death, calling him a "weirdo" with a "serious drug problem".
He then played an audio clip of the iconic quote from movie Brokeback Mountain, "I wish I knew how to quit you" - to which Gibson distastefully quipped, "Well, he found out how to quit you".
Laughing, Gibson then played another clip from Brokeback Mountain in which Ledger's character says, "We're dead", followed by his own, mocking "We're dead" before playing the clip again.
Click here to listen to the audio of John Gibson's shameful handling of Heath Ledger's death.
Gibson, I'd insult you, but you're not bright enough to notice.
Apologise now for your bad behaviour, and take the shame.
Source: Thinkprogress.org
Final words
News is coming in stating that director Shekhar Kapur was probably the last person to speak to Ledger - hours before his body was found.
Contactmusic.com reports that the friends chatted on the phone the night before Ledger's death, and had arranged to meet up the following day.
It's reported that Ledger had asked Kapur to call him the following day and to wake him up in time.
But Ledger never answered the phone.
Kapur, who directed Ledger in war drama The Four Feathers, said: "Heath said he could not see me that night but really wanted to meet me the next day.
"He made me promise that I would call him in the morning and wake him up. I tried. Little did I know that his soul had already left his body."
Kapur added: "In Heath, I have lost a younger brother. He was gentle, and caring."
What we know
Here's a rundown of what we know about Ledger's death so far:
* He was taking prescription medicine, seemingly to help him with a sleeping problem.
* He may have been suffering from pneumonia prior to his death, although this is yet to be confirmed.
* The results of the autopsy performed on Ledger's body were inconclusive, and we'll have to wait a further ten days for the results of further tests.
Latest updates:
4:00pm: Heath Ledger's family has demonstrated their grief over the loss of their treasured family member in an Australian newspaper.
Several messages have been printed in the death notices section of the West Australian today. Ledger's mother, Sally wrote:
"Our darling boy, special in so many ways to all of us. You knew you were so loved. You lived life with courage and daring and we are so grateful for the wonderful times we shared. We will be there for Matilda."
Other heart-wrenching tributes include this one by his sister, Kate:
"I can hardly breathe when I try to write this. We were the ultimate in soul mates. I feel both my heart and life have been torn apart. I loved our special talks, our daily chats from where ever you were in the world."
Visit people.comPeople.com to read the many more messages.
3:05pm: Breaking news: The masseuse who discovered Ledger's lifeless body spent a staggering nine minutes making three phone calls to Mary-Kate Olsen before calling 911, the Associated Press claims.
Diana Wolozin then called Olsen a fourth time once paramedics had arrived at the scene.
The AP reports that the calls have no bearing on investigations as they believe Ledger was dead when Wolzin arrived at the apartment.
The police upped the number of calls made to four after searching through Ledger's phone records.
AP also states that police do not suspect foul play.
Here's a timeline (thanks to Usmagazine.com) of the events on that fateful day:
1:00pm: Ledger's housekeeper says she saw him sleeping and heard what she thought was snoring.
2:45pm: Wolozin shows up for Ledger's massage appointment and knocks on his door.
3:00pm: She calls his cell phone to wake him up. She sets up her massage table.
3:17pm: She calls Olsen. The conversation lasts 49 seconds.
3:20pm: She calls Olsen again. The conversation lasts one minute and 39 seconds.
3:24pm: She calls Olsen a third time. The conversation lasts 21 seconds.
3:26pm: She calls 911.
3:33pm: Paramedics arrive and go up in the elevator to the apartment with Olsen's security guards (whom Olsen called to check out the scene). Paramedics do not allow the security guards into the bedroom where Ledger is.
3:34pm: Wolozin calls Olsen a fourth and final time. The duration of that call is unknown.
3:36pm: Ledger is declared dead.
3:00pm: As I reported yesterday, veteran actor Jack Nicholson apparently warned Heath Ledger about the perils of taking sleeping pills Ambien.
The Joker actor said: "Heath's death is tragic news. I warned him about Ambien. I took it once and somebody called me in the middle of the night and I woke up in my car 50 yards from my house. I almost drove off a cliff. I didn't know where I was.
"Ambien can get you. Not through excessive use, it's just some people react more strongly than others."
Source: Dailymail.co.uk
2:00pm: Actor Daniel Day-Lewis has paid a moving tribute to Ledger while being interviewed by Oprah Winfrey on her show.
The emotional actor almost broke down in tears as he deviated from the planned line of questioning and opted to talk about the deceased actor instead.
He said: "I hope you don't mind if I speak about this, but there is something I feel very unsettled about at the moment.
"I suppose it's because I only just saw the news about Heath Ledger's death.
"It seems somehow strange to be talking about anything else, not that there is anything to say really except to express one's regret and to say from the bottom of one's heart to his family and to his friends that I'm sorry for their trouble."
He added: "I didn't know him, but I had the strong impression that I would like him as a man if I had.
"I had already marvelled at some of his work and looked forward so much to seeing what he would do in the future.
"I pray to God that they allow his family particularly and his friends to grieve in the way the need to in the weeks and months to come.
"This is going to be something they are going to be living with for the rest of their lives."
Click here to watch the video clip.
Source: Showbizspy.com
1:45pm: New video footage has emerged which, by all accounts, is probably the last ever of the Aussie actor before he died.
Ledger was filmed by a London resident as he filmed scenes from the movie The Imaginarium of Doctor Panassus which were shot in central London.
Thelondonpaper.com has published the footage shot by journalist Clare Tims, who lived in an apartment across the street from where the scenes were filmed.
The footage clearly shows Ledger dressed in a clown's outfit and running away from what sounds like gunfire.
1:00pm: Heath Ledger's parents, Kim and Sally, are set to meet with the medical examiner when they arrive in New York later today.
Pagesix.com reports that the medical examiner visited Ledger's apartment today with detectives.
12:30pm: Fox News presenter John Gibson has finally apologised for his highly inapproriate and offensive comments regarding Heath Ledger's death.
Perezhilton.com states Gibson made an apology on his show yesterday, saying he was "sorry if his comments offended anyone" and that he showed remorse that Ledger had passed away.
11:00am: People is reporting that Ledger and Olsen were dating, but not exclusively, for three months.
A source says: "Mary-Kate and Heath were casually dating for three months before Heath's death.
"They were hooking up, but neither were particularly interested in making it exclusive."
The mag also states that the pair loved to party.
"They had a bond that was based on partying, and they had the same tastes in partying ... like, in terms of where they liked to hang out in New York, what time they would want to go out. They just had the same sensibility."
8:30am: Funeral arrangements are now in full swing.
A spokesperson for New York's Frank E. Campbell funeral home tells The Associated Press that the actor's family will be arriving in New York today to make final preparations.
However, George Amado, general manager of the funeral home where Ledger's body was taken on Thursday, refused to disclose any further information.
Meanwhile, a memorial service is said to be planned for this weekend in Los Angeles.
The sister of Aussie model Gemma Ward, who was allegedly romantically involved with Ledger, tells an Australian newspaper: "That [the memorial] will be in LA, then he will be buried in Perth," said Sophie Ward.
8:26am: Heath Ledger was allegedly dating Mary-Kate Olsen, reports claim.
According to America's New York Daily News newspaper, Olsen's bodyguard told police the two were dating (a claim her rep denies). The newspaper quotes a police source as saying the two had a "mutual relationship".
Source: Showbizspy.com
8:15am: British tabloid The Sun is remaining true to its muckraking ways and has published an expose about Ledger's alleged dalliance with drugs in the past.
The newspaper claims Ledger went on cocaine and ecstasy binges with model Naomi Campbell when he was relatively unknown in celebrity circles.
Click here to read the article.
8:00am: Heath Ledger's death was "a tragic accident", his uncles have said.
Speaking on CBS' Early Show last night, Haydn Ledger said his nephew would not have done anything "irresponsible", and added: "It just wouldn't come into the equation at all."
On the phone from the actor's hometown of Perth, Australia, Haydn - along with Ledger's other uncle, Mike - answered probing questions from the media.
"It's certainly, as far as we're concerned, a tragic accident and death," Haydn Ledger concluded.
Stay tuned to this blog for all the latest developments.
Britney's bizarre behaviour
Lame heading, I know, but if the cap fits...
Britney Spears is the queen of oddball antics, so it comes as no surprise to learn that the popwreck has been sniffing dumb dust yet again.
This one's a classic.
OK! Magazine reports that Brit Brit demonstrated that she's got a serious case of varicose brains earlier this month.
Just shy of midnight on Jan 19, Spears allegedly held a party at her Beverly Hills mansion - but nary a celeb was in sight, only a bunch of paparazzi she'd invited into her home.
The paps were invited in, but only on the condition that they left their cameras outside. The only other rule was to have a good time.
Accompanied by Brit's ultimate cling-on, Sam Lutfi, the snappers proceeded to have a whale of a time and drank, smoked and ate their way through the contents of her fridge.
But then, out of nowhere, Britney's evil twin made an appearance...
"Britney went into her bedroom and came out in a different pair of jeans and her pink wig," one of the snapper tells OK!
"Her eyes went wide and she was yelling, 'How the f**k did you get in here? Get the f**k out! Sam, get them out! Why are they eating my food? Get them out!'"
Another snapper says: "One person walked into that bedroom, someone else walked out."
One of the photographers tells OK!: "It was scary."
Gold. Just pure gold.
Meanwhile...
Spears bolted from her custody hearing yesterday.
Although Brit made the effort to get off her Toxic ass and enter the courthouse, she barely made it past the metal detectors.
Word has it the flakey one had a change of heart and refused to enter the courtroom.
Sources told TMZ that Brit Brit preferred to discuss matters in a more "therapeutic setting" - that's either in the company of medical professionals or in a padded cell, obviously.
News crews followed Brit all day (rather like flies to s***, I guess) and captured bitter Brit driving along Sunset Boulevard in her car, sans bra, and on the wrong side of the road.
Click here to witness the spectacle that is hurricane Britney.
And it gets weirder...
Us Magazine reports that a "scantily clad" Brit later showed up at a Beverly Hills elementary school to pick up what appeared to be "imaginary" children.
The website says: "The singer parked her car outside the school just before 3pm and spent 10 minutes smoking cigarettes and talking to herself while she waited for classes to let out."
"She was just rambling and confused," says the witness, who approached Spears to ask if she was OK.
"She said, 'I'm here to pick up my kids.' But then she changed her story and said, 'They aren't my kids; I have a new attorney, and I came to pick them up for her.'"
Adds the witness: "All I could think was, who in their right mind would let her pick up their kids?"
As children began to leave for the day, the star, 26, caused a commotion - "It became the talk of the school. Some of the kids were freaked out," says a school source. She was directed to a more secure entrance around the back.
But before getting into her car and driving off (without any children), she chatted up the female witness: "She said, 'You're so nice. You should give me your number. I don't have very many friends.'"
She's clearly as kinky as a cheap garden hose.
Obligatory YouTube clip: CNN reports that a strange Bigfoot-type creature has been spotted on planet Mars.
Rock formation or complete hokum?
Decide for yourselves here
Bruise that girl?
Has pop's grandma been under the knife? These rather incriminating pictures suggest she may have.
Madonna was snapped sporting what looks like a shiner as she left her Central London home this week.
But despite her vain attempts to cover the bruise with a set of satellite-sized shades, the evidence of tampering remained.
Wino's in rehab
It's a miracle! Amy Winehouse has apparently checked herself into rehab.
"Amy decided to enter the facility today after talks with her record label, management, family and doctors," Universal Music Group said in a statement.
"She has come to understand that she requires specialist treatment to continue her ongoing recovery from drug addiction."
Hurrah! Fabulous news.
Next stop: that hideous hair has to go. You may think the adage "The bigger the hair, the closer to God" rings true, but trust me, that haystack on your head makes you look like you've been whacked with the ugly stick.
What? Do I look like a people person?
Fast gossip
Give me five minutes and I'll tell you everything...
Posh and the two blind tramps: Dlisted
Avril Lavigne does karaoke: I'm Not Obsessed
Ashlee Simpson tried to sell her nose job story: ICYDK
Cameron Diaz and Eva Mendes burp and fart: ICYDK
Jerry O'Connell spoofs Tiny Tom Cruise: Just Jared
David Beckham for president: Rad Report
Lenny Kravitz gave up sex: Gabby Babble
Reese Witherspoon will keep her shirt on: Celebitchy
Lily Allen puts on a brave face and some Chanel: WW
Beyonce and Tina Turner may duet at the Grammys: Dlisted
