Don Herbert has passed away due to bone cancer at the age of 89.

Don Herbert was best known as "Mr. Wizard" in the TV series "Watch Mr. Wizard" and "Mr. Wizard's World", where he demonstrated scientific principals to children via interesting visual experiments.

I watched Mr. Wizard's World a lot when I was growing up, and it's a large part of why I enjoy shows like "Mythbusters" today.

I never watched Mr. Wizard, but it's still sad to hear that a great TV icon has passed away.

I'm in the same boat as CO. I watched his shows all the time when I was young, and I love shows like it now that I'm older.

*Trebor gives a 21 test tube pop salute.

Rest in peace Mr. Wizard.

Man, this is all kinda FUBAR.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/...dead/index.html

Huge shock. I'm going with accidental overdose on this one.

If they need a replacement for the Joker his cast mate from 10 Things has grown up to look remarkably similar:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0330687/

I was floored when I first heard about this about half an hour ago. Shocking is all I can say. Let's hope it was accidental, because Ledger never stuck me as the drug type, and for his kid's sake I'd rather his name not be ruined. Dark Knight's in post prod, so it looks like that will be his last film. A shame, as I liked most of his work.

He will be missed, and I don't think that he was the drug type actor, and he had a massage therapist coming over and prescribed pills so he had to have been in some kind of pain.

Ya this really sucks. Quite the shock.

Wow, I couldn't believe it when I read the headlines. This is incredibly sad and unexpected. He will definitely be missed.

RIP Mr. Ledger.

Agreed. My first reaction was "Hol-eee shit!" This really is a shame, as Ledger was a very good actor. He wasn't the tabloid rat that so many young celebrities are, but really seemed like he wanted to be famous for his work.

I'm sure there will be a bittersweet feeling for everyone seeing him as the Joker in The Dark Knight.

Very sad.

Yeah, this was definitely a sad surprise. Sounds like it probably was an overdose of sleeping pills... sadly all too easy to have happen. I liked his performances in the movies I've seen.

Ya that is true. It will be harder to watch him play a villain now. Although probably not as hard as it was watching Brandon Lee in the Crow. Since that was a movie Lee was killed doing and the whole movie is watching Brandon Lee get killed over and over again. Which made it a very uncomfortable movie to watch (logically I knew that every scene of him being shot wasn't the actual scene Lee was shot to death in but emotionally it was hard to ignore that). Whereas Ledger died after filming so it might be a bit easier to watch. Although harder to enjoy simply for the performance. And of course it won't be all that fun criticizing him if you don't like the performance or nit picking on his version of the Joker.

Promotion will be trickier for the movie as well.

But at least he was finished filming. It would be even more devastating had he only been half way through filming or something. From the sounds of it Ledger said this was his most rewarding, challenging and fun role to play so far and he doesn't get to promote it or see the audience's reaction to it or even see the film as a whole.

I was pretty shocked when I found out at work. It kinda threw me for a loop.

I caught a hint of it on the internet and thought it might be a joke (there was a William Shatner "death" report that went around a couple months ago), but this is truly shocking. He was really talented and likely had a lot of good movies left in him.

Sad, sad news.

*Trebor opens mouth to say something, realizes he has nothing to add and hangs his head in disappointment and respect.

Though I've never seen that many of his films he was always good in those I have. I have to say it's a tragic accident that seems to be hitting everyone so hard.

The Dark Knight viral site whysoserious.com has put up a tribute to Heath Ledger. Just click the picture underneath the letter.

Also, Warner Brothers put up this memorial in Heath's memory.

I must be dense because I can't find it. All I get when I click on the picture are the fan submitted Polaroids

Actually, it's the black ribbon that they put onto the picture. I just meant that you needed to click the corner of the pic to peel back the letter.

edited due to request\off topic ness?

idk just common courtesy to the thread starter ^^

I don't think we need to speculate on the details here. CNN has got a ton of articles about what happened on their website. I just wanted to point out that the film studios and people behind The Dark Knight had each put up special pages online in tribute to Heath Ledger.

Director Chris Nolan writes a touching letter about his time with Heath Ledger entitled: Charisma as Natural as Gravity

Wow, I thought the Title of this thread meant Rip Heath Ledger, not R.I.P. Heath Ledger. I was thinking man that is cold to rip a dead guy.

Yeah, I only saw a couple movies with him in it. Of course I avoided the one with that mountain in it.

Screen legend and Oscar winner Charlton Heston has died at the age of 84.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080406/ap_on_en_mo/obit_heston

Best known for roles where he played historical figures like Moses, Heston won the best actor Oscar for Ben Hur. One of my favorite films, Touch of Evil, stars Heston as a cop in a corrupt border town (directed by Orson Wells, before he ate most of the cast and crew). I think the coolest part of his life is that he and his wife had been married 64 years at the time of his death. You don't see that much anywhere, especially in Hollywood. Rest well, Charlie. I'm sure you've got your guns if anyone decides to F with you.

*pries his gun from his cold dead hand*

can you imagine the kind of eldrich power this thing might hold!?!?

Rest in peace, Mr. Heston. You'll never be bothered by those damn, dirty apes ever again.

Momma Gelfogre taught me it's not nice to speak ill of the recently deceased, so I'll just say he was a hell of a good actor, ad in his youth spoke out against racism and McCarthyism in Hollywood as well as being an Anti-war activist during Vietnam, before he turned to the dark side.

edit: but I'm pretty sure that Chariot isn't heading up.

A good actor, and aside from some dementia-inspired comments, a mostly good man. Rest in peace, Mr. Heston.

Ooh, good days for me then!



As for McCarthyism.... I think that poor man needs to be cut a break... after the KGB started a mass declasification program, we found out beyond a shadow of a doubt that the guy was right!


As for Mister Heston... If you're going up, then enjoy...

If you're going down, I think you're a good man so stop by and see me, I'd love to have a chat.

I thought you dissaproved of "magic" powers?

This is actually not true. While it is true that there were some AMERICAN communists in the government and the entertainment industry, there is no evidence that there was any influence from the Soviet block. Moreover many completely innocent people still had their lives and carreers ruined and there's not a shred of evidence that it made the US any safer. McCarthy was an evil evil man, make no mistake.

Dont get me started on this, my family has strong connections with several people who were black-listed in the 50s because of simly having "Communist sympathies". THEY WERE LEFTISTS, not communists, for crying out loud. and by my standards barely even that.

Shutting up now. I can feel my blood pressure getting to high already.

Yeah, let's not press him on it. We don't want an ogre with high blood pressure.

I do, that's why i'm going to dispose of this thing as quick as i can find a trunk to fill full of concrete and concrete to fill the trunk and the chamber of this thing and then toss it into the marianas trench...

I hope that thing isn't getting too full...








McCarthyism: it really doesn't matter if he was right or not, what he did wasn't actually legal or constitutional. It is just as often the how that makes a person right or wrong as it is the why.

the ends no more justify the means than the other way 'round.

I agree with Gelf and Jon-OH on McCarthy... and will add that on the occasion he was "correct" it was only by coincidence.

Good point, and I have to agree... but let us focus on Mr. Heston, I didn't intend to focus on Mr. McCarthy.

Cheers Mr. Heston! Dont forget to see me if you're in my neigborhood

Mayhap we could just keep it in our own armory, at least that way we know if someone gets ahold of it.

Goodbye Mister Heston for a time there was only one actor capable of making decent sci-fi films in the 70's and that man was you. Bravo!!

Sydney Pollack has passed away due to cancer.

Sydney Pollack was a good friend of my Dad's and a frequent visitor to our house when I was a kid. I also went to school with his daughter Amy (dated her best friend for a while), so this is a real drag. I haven't seen him for about 4 or 5 years, but I'll always remember him as a funny, smart guy who drank his martinis dry and was a good friend to my Dad.


Cheers Sydney.

Comedian Dick Martin, of Laugh-In, has passed away.

I watched Laugh-In re-runs a lot when I was growing up. I'm probably as apt to quote sketches from it as I am from Saturday Night Live.

Good night, Dick.

does anyone know this guy personally?

would it be okay for me to mock his passing?

Didn't know him, but I thought he was funny.

The comic star Harvey Korman has passed away at 81.

Bit of a rough week on comedians, isn't it? So long, Hedy Hedley.

so far the plan is working perfectly.

Someone has to stop Jon. It's getting crazy. Soon George Carlin won't leave his house.

Unless he's actually dead, I feel that George Carlin will continue to do whatever he damn well pleases.