"Heath Ledger passed away this week and in all the years we've been doing this show we've never had cause to mention him. So stop digging through the dirt weasels. A talented, decent guy is gone and our thoughts go to those who knew him."
(I heart Joel McHale)

Heath Ledger is sort of like my Kurt Cobain/River Phoenix. Not that his particular talent helped me through an emotional adolescence or anything like that, but he's one of the few pop culture icons who I can claim to have appreciated from nearly the beginning. Yes, I actually watched Roar back when it was on network tv. Although I've also long been a fan of Matt Damon, it was sort of fun to watch Ledger act circles around the boy in The Brothers Grimm. And his small role in Lords of Dogtown was a direct (and impressive) channeling of Val Kilmer. He not only held his own, but downright stole scenes from the likes of Billy Bob Thornton in Monster's Ball. Even in mediocre-to-crappy movies (The Order, First Knight, etc.) it was always a pleasure to watch him work. I was really looking forward to watching him further his craft, and his absence is a real loss to the profession. Obviously, his loved ones miss him personally too, but not having known the guy, it feels disingenuous to speak about anything other than the ways in which I personally appreciated his presence.