Heath Ledger Is An Oscar Front Runner

By all accounts Heath Ledger’s performance in Dark Knight is nothing short of amazing–and the chatter that he could be in line for a posthumous Oscar is turning into an all-out battle cry. But that doesn’t mean he’ll win.

From LATimes.com:

Just after returning from a screening of “The Dark Knight,” KTLA reporter Sam Rubin declared on his blog that Heath Ledger gives such “a blockbuster performance” as the Joker that he’ll “absolutely be nominated for an Oscar, and at this point in the year, Ledger is also a hands-down favorite to win it posthumously.

However, only one actor, Peter Finch, has won an Oscar posthumously–but he’d already been nominated before his heart stopped beating. James Dean, on the other hand, was nominated twice after his death, for East of Eden in 1955 and Giant, in 1956. He lost both times. That said, we know his performance ranks as one of the greats, so who knows what’s in store for a long-gone Ledger.

Check out Rolling Stones review of Dark Knight and watch the trailer!