If Heath Ledger wins the Oscar

Heath, may I be so bold as to suggest this speach?

"Wow. What an incredible honor. As many of you know, the stage may be the actor's medium, but film is the medium of the director, so I give credit for my performance to Ang Lee and his brilliant coaching and vision. I also would like to thank Annie Proulx, [insert random people here: lawyer, agent, wife, parents, other inspirations].

You know, many people have asked me how I prepared for this role. Did I, an Australian man born in 1979, have any experiences that were similar to those of my character, Ennis Del Mar, a gay cowboy in 1960s Wyoming? Could I relate to his forbidden passion? What these people really want to know, is whether or not I've had a 'gay experience'.

I'd like to clear the air on this subject. I can totally, and in every way, relate to Ennis, and so can all of you. Haven't we all felt the bitter sting of lonliness at some point in our lives? Haven't we all had moments when we felt that no one, not even our families, really knew who we were? Haven't we all felt the regret of having not risked, and therefore, not truly lived?

This movie is not about "the gay experience," whatever that could possibly mean. It is about the human experience. And I would argue that if there is a "gay experience," it most certainly is at its core a human one, primarily. What I learned from this movie was that certain emotions cross the human-made boundaries of generation, country of origin, class, occupation, and yes, sexual orientation.

Thank you so much for your praise and for this high honor."

[Author's appreciation for this article , by Erik Lundegaard, which inspired this post.]