Saturday, January 26, 2008

Ledger Death Still a Mystery

Yesterday, New York City police denied reports that they will question Mary-Kate Olsen ,21, whom Heath Ledger 's masseuse called three times after discovering Ledger lying face down and unconscious on his bed Tuesday. Only after speaking with Olsen did the woman call 911.

"There's no crime for not calling 911 initially," a police detective told People magazine. The detective said police are waiting for a full report from the medical examiner and never planned to question Olsen. Ledger, 28, died Tuesday; foul play has been ruled out but the circumstances remain a mystery.

In a statement from her rep, Olsen called Ledger's death tragic. A rep for Ledger told People that funeral services for the actor will be private. No further details were released, but People reported that the body was taken yesterday afternoon from a Manhattan funeral home to a New York-area airport. Various reports suggest Ledger's body will be returned to his home town of Perth, Australia, for burial.

Yesterday, the West Australian newspaper published letters from Ledger's family members. His father, Kim , wrote: "My beautiful boy . . . no more chess games mate . . . this is it, couldn't beat you anyway!" A note from the whole family reads "our hearts are broken" and calls Ledger "the most amazing individual 'old soul' in a young man's body."

With her May 10 wedding to Henry Hager just a few months away, first twin Jenna Bush ,26, will be getting a boost from some pals at her wedding shower today.

During an appearance last night at the William G. McGowan Theater at the National Archives, former first lady Barbara Bush let slip that 15 of her granddaughter's friends were currently bunking at the White House, gearing up for the shower (no word on exactly where the event will take place).

"Well, her friends, they're all here. There's going to be a lot of people. Aunts, cousins. It's going to be nice," Bush told The Post's Sridhar Pappu at a reception after her talk.

On the heels of Martin Luther King Jr. 's birthday, the Library of Congress is acquiring the personal papers of another key figure in the civil rights movement and the 1963 March on Washington: James Forman .

Forman, a Korean War veteran who served from 1961 to 1966 as executive secretary for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, died in 2005 at age 76. His sons Chaka and James Jr. , along with their mother, Constancia Romilly , will be on hand at a ceremony Monday morning to donate Forman's papers -- a 70,000-piece collection of letters, diaries, speeches, photos and video clips.

Judith Regan , the publisher fired after her efforts to release O.J. Simpson 's"If I Did It," has settled her $100 million lawsuit with Rupert Murdoch 's News Corp., the AP reports.

In a joint statement issued yesterday, the parties said they were pleased to reach "an equitable, confidential settlement, with no admission of liability by any party."

Regan was fired in December 2006, less than a month after Murdoch canceled her plans to publish "If I Did It," Simpson's allegedly fictional confession to murdering his ex-wife and her friend. The book, and a planned Fox television interview with Simpson, spurred public outrage.

Raising a glass: "Saturday Night Live" producer Lorne Michaels and former "SNL" cast member Dan Aykroyd joined Chris Dodd , his campaign trail mate Paul Simon , Caroline Kennedy and others in toasting artist John Alexander at Thursday's opening reception for "John Alexander: A Retrospective" at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

-- Marissa Newhall, from staff and wire reports