atkinreport.com

So, I’m headed out of Sin City yesterday after three days at NATPE (National Assn. of Television Program Executives) where I moderated a panel on environmental programming with reps from the soon-to-launch Discovery Planet Green, News Corp., PBS, HGTV and KRON in San Francisco. The aiport seemed overwhelmingly mobbed for a late Thursday morning. Wha’ happened? It seems Air Force One was docked at McCarran Int’l Airport, for a rather stealth trip by George W. that didn’t get much coverage. He had addressed a conservative think tank the night before, with his motorcade closing down the Strip and creating automotive chaos. But it was worse on the aviation side. All air traffic to and fro LV was shut down for several hours so AF One could have the airspace to itself, delaying tens of thousands of travelers. Funny thing, though. Nellis AFB is just eight miles away from downtown Vegas, begging the question of why the president’s plane didn’t avail itself of its facilities. No fuss, no muss, no security problems and no one inconvenienced. Go figure….

I have always been a huge admirer of Daniel Day-Lewis, ever since his “My Left Foot” and “The Last of the Mohicans” days. But his DDL-ness reached new heights with his acceptance speech for winning The Actor for his riveting performance as Daniel Plainview in “There Will Be Blood.” Incongrously, he had appeared on Oprah the other day and told her he wanted to talk about Heath Ledger more than he wanted to talk about himself or his movie, and tonight, at the end of an emotional and heartfelt speech about how other actors inspired him, he dedicated his statuette to Ledger, saying that his scene in the trailer at the end of “Brokeback Mountain” was as moving as almost anything he had ever seen.  In the category of awards show acceptance speeches, I feel the same way about this.

Please, if I am ever unconscious and in need of emergency medical attention, do not call Mary Kate Olsen to send over her bodyguards. Still so shocked and saddened by the horribly untimely death of Heath Ledger. I met him several years ago when he was promoting the film “Ned Kelly,” and he was definitely a reluctant star at that point and decidedly uncomfortable and fidgety in the spotlight in a one-on-one Q&A after the film before an industry crowd that included many fellow Aussies.

We may never know what happened inside Heath’s Soho apartment, just that the housekeeper and masseuse who found him–and called MK three or four times, which really begs the question of why?–must be traumatized by their failure to potentially save his life.

The sickest thing I’ve seen regarding the tragedy–aside from The Insider comparing Heath Ledger to Anna Nicole Smith and Michelle Williams’ parents being stalked by paparazzi, even as New Yorkers shouted “leave them alone”–was an idiot on eBay trying to sell a water bottle that Heath supposedly drank from at a starting price of $500. Thank god there were no bidders.