Jan 31, 2008 10:59 am US/Eastern
Celeb Shows Won't Run Video Of Ledger At Party
NEW YORK (AP) ―
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Actor Heath Ledger poses during the photocall for "A Knight's Tale" on Sept. 1, 2001, at the Deauville Festival of American Cinema in Deauville, France.
Anthony Harvey/Getty Images
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Actor Heath Ledger, right, poses with actress Berenice Bejo during the photocall for "A Knight's Tale" on Spet. 1, 2001, at the Deauville Festival of American Cinema in Deauville, France.
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Heath Ledger and Kate Hudson onstage at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, on Aug. 29, 2002.
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Heath Ledger and Naomi Watts share a laugh at the premiere of "The Ring" at the Bruin Theatre and after-party at the Garden in Westwood, Calif., on Oct. 9, 2002.
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Actors Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams arrive to the 78th Annual Academy Awards at the Kodak Theatre on March 5, 2006 in Hollywood.
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The scene was chaotic outside Heath Ledger's SoHo apartment after the actor was found dead inside on Jan. 22.
CBS
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Memorial flowers and a candle are seen in front of the house where Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams lived together on Jan. 23, 2008, in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Ledger, died Jan. 22, 2008, at the age of 28.
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Names and foot imprints of Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams' baby, Matilda, and of family dog, Hugo, are seen on Jan. 22, 2008, in front of the house where the family once lived in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.
Brad Barket/Getty Images
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A memorial to actor Heath Ledger is seen outside his apartment building on Broome St. in SoHo on Jan. 23, 2008, in New York City.
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Australian actor Heath Ledger's grieving parents Kim, left, and Sally, center, with his sister Kate outside appear outside their home in Perth, Australia, on Jan. 23, 2008.
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Mary Kate Olsen arrives at the 2007 7th on Sale Black-tie Gala Dinner at the 69th Regiment Armory on Nov.15, 2007 in New York City.
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Actress Mary-Kate Olsen arrives at the premiere of 'The Wackness' held at the Racquet Club Theater during the 2008 Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 18, 2008 in Park City, Utah.
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"Entertainment Tonight" says it won't air a video it has acquired that shows the late Heath Ledger at a Hollywood party where drugs were apparently being taken.
The syndicated magazine's sister show, "The Insider," aired a "preview" of the video Wednesday that showed an unidentified man apparently snorting cocaine. The show said, however, that the video does not show Ledger doing drugs.
"Out of respect for Heath Ledger's family, 'Entertainment Tonight' and 'The Insider' have decided not to run the Heath Ledger video that has been circulating in the world media," said a posting on the Web sites Thursday.
Ledger, 28, died in his Manhattan apartment Jan. 22. The cause of his death will likely be known within days, after medical examiners complete toxicology tests.
Authorities suspect a possible drug overdose, but nothing conclusive has been determined. Several prescription drugs were found in the Manhattan apartment where the "Brokeback Mountain" actor's body was found.
"The Insider" ran a fairly extensive "preview" of the video Wednesday. It showed Ledger in the doorway of a room in the Chateau Marmont hotel where a party was taking place.
The video shows a man, his face blurred, seeming to snort cocaine from a table. Ledger said that he was "going to get serious (word bleeped) from my girlfriend" for being at the party.
It also shows him rolling cigarette paper. He was heard saying "I used to smoke five joints a day for 20 years." The show also quotes Drew Pinsky, star of VH1's "Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew," saying he had seen the video and it was "heartbreaking."
Beyond the cigarette paper, the video shows Ledger taking a slug from a beer. There have been a number of media reports quoting people who said Ledger used drugs.
The Hollywood community put pressure on the syndicated programs not to air the material. A statement spread through Hollywood by Ledger's public relations firm called the video "shameful exploitation of the lowest kind."
It said that "Entertainment Tonight" purchased the video for "a large sum of money in the hopes of stirring up a salacious and exploitive story about Heath."
The PR firm, ID PR, also represents Ledger's "Brokeback Mountain" co-star Jake Gyllenhaal and stars like Robin Williams and Natalie Portman. For the syndicated magazine shows, access to stars is like oxygen.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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